Aspects of Aqueous Ruthenium(II) Chemistry

Abstract

Since the first facile synthesis of [Ru(H2O)6](tos)2 was published at the beginning of the eighties, several RuII aqueous inorganic and organometallic complexes were described, showing the increasing interest in this kind of compound due to potential applications in catalysis and medicine. To understand what governs the reactivity of the ligands in the first coordination sphere of the RuII center, we discuss its solution behavior, starting with the simplest aqueous species [Ru(H2O)6]2+ and moving progressively in complexity with selected examples. In addition, we present variable-pressure measurements with two objectives: to determine activation volumes for mechanistic assignments, and to shift equilibria by increasing the solubility of gaseous molecules.