SYNTHESIS AND REACTIVITY OF TETHERED ETA(1) ETA(6)-(PHOSPHINOARENE)RUTHENIUM DICHLORIDES/

The coordination properties of ortho- and meta-substituted [(2-dipheny lphosphanylethyl)-phenyl]methanol 4a and 4b toward ruthenium(II) have been investigated. To ensure coordination of both the arene and the te thered phosphine, the labile ruthenium arene dimer [RuCl2(EtO2CC6H5)]( 2) (7) was synthesized and structurally characterized. Both the ortho and meta isomers [Ru(4a)Cl-2] (9a) and [Ru(4b)Cl-2] (9b) were characte rized by X-ray crystallography. The lack of reactivity of the benzylic alcohol functionality in complexes 9a and 9b toward various P and C e lectrophiles is rationalized with extended Huckel calculations.