Structural Characterization of Cationic 16-Electron Pentamethylcyclopentadienyl Ruthenium(II) Complexes Containing the Binuclear [CpRu(μ-Cl)3RuCp]– Anion

The reaction of the diimine ligand 1,2-bis(1,3-diisopropyl-4,5-dimethylimidazolin-2-imino)ethane (BL ) with tetrameric [Cp*RuCl] in a 1 : 0.75 ratio afforded the complex salt [1][2] containing the 16-electron half-sandwich cation [Cp*Ru(BL )]+ (1) and the dinuclear anion [Cp*Ru(μ- Cl) RuCp*] (2). The X-ray crystal structures of [1][2]·31/2THF (monoclinic, space group P2 /n, Z = 4) and of [1][2]·THF (monoclinic, space group C2/m, Z = 4) are reported, allowing the structural characterization of the unprecedented anion 2, in which two [(η -C Me )Ru(II)] moieties are bridged by three μ -chlorine atoms.