AIR-STABLE RUTHENIUM(II) AND OSMIUM(II) FLUORIDE COMPLEXES - CRYSTAL-STRUCTURES OF [OC-6-13][MF2(CO)(2)(PR3)(2)] [M = RU, PR3 = PETPH2, M =OS, PR3 = PPH3 OR P(C6H11)(3)]

The reaction of Lewis bases L with [{MF2(CO)(3)}(4)] (M=Ru or Os) in o rganic solvents provided a clean, high-yield, route to a series of air -and moisture-stable ruthenium(II) and osmium(II) fluoride co-ordinati on compounds of general formulae [MF2(CO)(2)L-2]. Characterisation by elemental analysis, FAB mass spectrometry, NMR and IR spectroscopy ind icated a cis,cis,trans ligand arrangement. The crystal structures of [ OC-6-13][MF2(CO)(2)(PR3)(2)] [M=Ru, PR3=PEtPh2; M=Os, PR3=PPh3 or P(C6 H11)(3)] have been determined by X-ray crystallography. The geometry a bout the central metal atoms for all three structures is distorted pse udooctahedral with ligand environments consistent with the spectroscop ic data. In all the structures the phosphine ligands are bent towards the fluoride ligands and show intramolecular H ... F interactions.