SYNTHESIS AND X-RAY STRUCTURE OF AN H2S COMPLEX, RUCL2(P-N)(P(P-TOLYL)(3))(SH2) (P-N=O-(DIPHENYLPHOSPHINO)-N,N-DIMETHYLANILINE)

The interaction of transition metal complexes with H2S continues to at tract attention. Such chemistry is of relevance in the biological sulf ur cycle, in the formation of ores, in hydrodesulfurization catalysis, and in the use of H2S as a source of Hz and elemental sulfur (or orga nosulfur compounds). Literature dealing with these topics is plentiful and can be traced through recent references.(1,2) However, isolation and characterization of metal complexes containing H2S remain challeng ing,(2,3) as such species tend to undergo oxidative addition reactions to give products with SH ligands or bridged or terminal sulfide,(4) a nd only recently has an H2S complex been characterized crystallographi cally.(2) This was the structure reported by Sellmann et al. of the Ru (II)-complex Ru(SH2)(PPh3)('S-4'). THF ('S-4' = 1,2-bis[(2-mercaptophe nyl)thio]ethane(2-)) formed by the reaction of the polymeric complex [ Ru(PPh3)('S-4')](x) with liquid H2S at -70 degrees C; the reaction wit h H2S gas at room temperature in THF resulted in a mixture of the brid ging sulfide complex [(mu-S-2){Ru(PPh3)('S-4')}(2)] and other uncharac terized products depicting the more typical reactivity of H2S with tra nsition metal complexes.(2)