A New Scaffold for Molecular Design: The Preparative Scale-Syntheses of Ru-Centered Arene Compounds

Carbon centered molecules have been very well recognized in the past for both academic and industrial purposes. Utilizing inert element instead of carbon atom could bring more molecular complexity as well as potential binding in medicinal chemistry. We report, herein, a number of strategies for the syntheses of Ru-centered molecules starting from commercially available [RuCl2(η6-p-cymene)] dimer substituted phenyl-heterocycles via Concerted Metalation Deprotonation (CMD) processes. Halogen atom ligand exchange and arene ligand exchange from the skeleton have been achieved. Under such procedures, a collectively good number of (26) Ru-arene complexes have been prepared efficiently. The Ru-complexes prepared have covered broad spectrum of functional groups on the 4 possible positions. Moreover, the Suzuki coupling reaction on the Ru-centered complex was realized with good yield (90%). The access of a library of these compounds would allow molecular chemists to consider the utilization of these molecules rather than purely organometallic reagents for inorganic chemistry or catalysis.