Stabilisation of alkynyl dithiocarboxylates at a ruthenium centre: X-ray crystal structures of [Ru(H)(CO)(S2CC CPh)(PPh3)(2)], [Ru(CO)(CPh CHPh)(S2CC CPh)(PPh3)(2)] and [Ru(CO)(C CMes)(S2CC CPh)(PPh3)(2)]

Solutions of the alkynyldithiocarboxylate anions RC=C-CS2- (R = Mes, Ph, Bu -t), generated by treatment of the acetylides LiC=CR with carbon disulfide, are sufficiently stable to allow reaction with haloruthenium(II) complexes . In this way, the complexes [Ru(H)(CO)(S2CC=CR)(PPh3)(2)] and [Ru(CO)(CPh= CHPh)(S2CC=CR)(PPh3)(2)] (R = Mes, Ph, Bu-t) have been prepared and charact erised. The vinyl complexes react with additional terminal alkynes (RC)-C-1 =CH at room temperature to afford the acetylide complexes [Ru(CO)(C=CR1)(S2 CC=CR)(PPh3)(2)]. The crystal structures of [Ru(H)(CO)(S2CC=CPh)(PPh3)(2)], [Ru(CO)(CPh=CHPh)(S2CC=CPh)(PPh3)(2)] and [Ru(CO)(C=CMes)(S2CC=CPh)(PPh3)( 2)] have been determined. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserve d.