Silicon complexes with ruthenium

The search in recent years for silicon compounds with multiple bonds or cyclic n-systems has renewed interest in siloles (66)77 and their mono- and di-anions (48 and 49), and led to the successful isolation of stable silole anions coordinated to various metal counter ions (Li+, Na+, K+)10a-c 78 - 86 and as complexes with ruthenium (e.g. 6a and 6b)10d. 

While platinum and rhodium are predominantly used as efficient catalysts in the hydrosilylation and cobalt group complexes are used in the reactions of silicon compounds with carbon monooxide, in the last couple of years the chemistry of ruthenium complexes has progressed significantly and plays a crucial role in catalysis of these types of processes (e.g., dehydrogenative silylation, hydrosilylation and silylformylation of alkynes, carbonylation and carbocyclisation of silicon substrates). 

Many of the complexes with silicon-containing ligands and carbonyl groups are outwith the scope of this review in that they are octahedral with four CO groups per ruthenium. Nevertheless, since these compounds are often the precursors for species with three or less CO groups per ruthenium, a brief outline of their syntheses and characterization is given in this section. 

Combination of silicon hydrides with catalytic amounts of a ruthenium(II) complex in tetrahydrofuran, chloroform or benzene has afforded a new reducing system capable of efficient reduction of a,p-unsatu-rated carboxylic acids, esters, amides, etc. Addition of a weak proton source, such as a sterically hindered phenol significantly increases reaction rates. The ruthenium mixture was found to exhibit the same regioselectivity observed with the above-described palladium systems. 

A second type of reactive metal-silicon bond involves multiple bonding, as might exist in a silylene complex, LnM=SiR2. The synthesis of isolable silylene complexes has led to the observation of new silicon-based reactivity patterns redistribution at silicon occurs via bi-molecular reactions of silylene complexes with osmium silylene complexes, reactions have been observed that mimic proposed transformations in the Direct Process. And, very recently, ruthenium silylene complexes have been reported to be catalytically active in hydrosilylation reactions. 

Effective disproportionation and co-disproportionation of vinylsilane with ruthenium complexes containing the Ru-H, Ru-Si bond, called subsequently silylative coupling or trans-si y aiion of olefins with vinylsubstituted silanes, was revealed in 1984 as a new synthetic route to substituted vinylsilanes and are commonly used as organic reagents. Subsequent extensive synthetic and catalytic study has shown that silylative coupling of olefins with vinylsubstituted silicon compounds occurs (similarly to the hydrosilylation and dehydrogenative silylation reactions) via active intermediates containing the M-Si (silicometallics) and the M-H bond (where M = Ru, Rh, Ir, Co, Fe). The insertion of olefin into M-Si bond and vinylsilanes into M-H followed by elimination of vinylsilane and ethane respectively, are the key steps in this new process. 

Among the most commonly used indicator dyes for doping silicone films are ruthenium(II) complexes with polyazaheterocyclic chelating hgands [33] and metallo-porphyrins [104]. These compounds possess unique photochemical and photophysical characteristics such as large separation between the absorption and emission bands and... 

The silanol complex 57 exhibits a Si H M agostic interaction characterized by a /(Si-H) of 41 Hz and a Si-H distance of 1.70(7) It would be incautious to interpret such a low value of the Si-H coupling in terms of a significant Si-H bond activation, because the Si-H bond forms rather acute angles with the Si-C and Si-Si bonds (about 82 and 101°, respectively) and thus must have a considerable p character on silicon, which should contribute to the decrease of /(Si-H). The silanol ligand is -coordinate to ruthenium and the Ru-Si bond of 2.441(3) A is not exceptional, but the Si(SiMe3)3 deviates from the silanol plane by 19.0°, probably as a result of the Si-H interaction. Deprotonation of 57 by strong bases affords a neutral ruthenocene-like product. 

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