One-Pot Synthesis of Ruthenium Metallacycles via Oxidative Addition of Diaryldichalcogen and Halogen across a Ru–Ru Bond

Oxidative addition of diaryldichalcogen ligands (REER) to ruthenium carbonyl (Ru3(CO)12) followed by the addition of halogen (X2) afforded chalcogen-bridged Ru­(II)-based metallacycles of general formula [X­(CO)3Ru­(μ-ER)2Ru­(CO)3X] (1–10), where E = S, Se, and Te; R = phenyl, tolyl, and benzyl; and X = Br and I. Compounds 1–10 were characterized using IR, UV–vis, and NMR spectroscopic techniques. Molecular structures of the metallacycles have been elucidated by single-crystal X-ray diffraction methods that confirm the dimeric nature of metallacycles, wherein the two Ru­(CO)3X moieties are held together by the bridging aryl chalcogenide ligands.