A low-valent dinuclear ruthenium diazadiene complex catalyzes the oxidation of dihydrogen and reversible hydrogenation of quinones

The dinuclear ruthenium complex [Ru2H(mu-H)(Me(2)dad)(dbcot)(2)] contains a 1,4-dimethyl-diazabuta-1,3-diene (Me(2)dad) as a non-innocent bridging ligand between the metal centers to give a [Ru-2(Me(2)dad)] core. In addition, each ruthenium is bound to one dibenzo[a,e]cyclooctatetraene (dbcot) ligand. This Ru dimer converts H-2 to protons and electrons. It also catalyzes reversibly under mild conditions the selective hydrogenation of vitamins K-2 and K-3 to their corresponding hydroquinone equivalents without affecting the C=C double bonds. Mechanistic studies suggest that the [Ru-2(Me(2)dad)] moiety, like hydrogenases, reacts with H-2 and releases electrons and protons stepwise.Swiss National Science Foundation; ETH Zurich; China Scholarship Council; ETH Zurich Postdoctoral Fellowship Program - ETH Zurich-Marie Curie action for people [FEL-14 15-1]Open access articleThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at repository@u.library.arizona.edu