Pentamethylcyclopentadienylruthenium(II) Complexes: Synthesis, Characterization and Catalytic Activity in Aryl–Aryl Coupling

Ruthenium(II) complexes of the type [Ru(PPh^sub 3^)(η^sup 5^-C^sub 5^Me^sub 5^)L] have been synthesized by the reactions of [RuCl(PPh^sub 3^)^sub 2^(η^sup 5^-C^sub 5^Me^sub 5^)] with Schiff bases having the (N, O) donor atoms. The Schiff bases used in this study were prepared by condensing the appropriate aniline with salicylaldehyde or 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde in a 1:2 molar ratio respectively. The complexes were characterized by analytical, spectral (i.r., electronic and ^sup 1^H-n.m.r.) data. The new complexes have been used as catalysts in aryl-aryl coupling reactions.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]