title: Can the disproportion of oxidation state III be favored in RuII-OH2/RuIV=O systems?
abstract: Three new Ru-aqua complexes containing a mixed carbene and pyridylic ligands with general formulas [Ru(CNC)(bpy)(H2O)](PF6)2 (1) (CNC is 2,6-bis(butylimidazol-2-ylidene)pyridine; bpy is 2,2'-bipyridine) and cis-/trans-[Ru(CNC)(nBu-CN)(H2O)](PF6)2 (cis-2 and trans-2) (nBu-CN is 2-(butylimidazol-2-ylidene)pyridine) have been prepared and structurally characterized both in the solid state (monocrystal X-ray diffraction analysis for 1 and for the related complex trans-[Ru(Br)(CNC)(nBu-CN)](PF6)) and in solution (for all of them) through NMR. The electrochemical properties of these three Ru-aqua complexes have been investigated by cyclic voltammetry, differential pulse voltammetry and Coulombimetric techniques. It is found that, for complex 1 at pH 7, the difference between the IV/III and the III/II redox couples (DeltaE1/2) is 50 mV, which is the smallest ever reported for this type of complex. On the other hand, for complexes cis-2 and trans-2, the oxidation state III is unstable with respect to disproportionation to II and IV. The reactivity of their Ru=O species has been tested toward cis-beta-methylstyrene oxidation, and it has been compared to [Ru(O)(trpy)(bpy)]2+. An inverse correlation between the degree of cis/trans-epoxide isomerization and DeltaE1/2 is found. In particular, for complexes cis-2 and trans-2, which have a DeltaE1/2 < 0, the epoxidation is highly stereoselective, yielding only cis-epoxide.
authors.affiliation: Departament de Química, Universitat de Girona, Campus de Montilivi, E-17071 Girona, Spain.
authors.forename: Ester
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Masllorens
authors.forename: Montserrat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Romero
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Roglans
authors.forename: Teodor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Parella
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Benet-Buchholz
authors.forename: Macarena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Poyatos
authors.forename: Antoni
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Llobet