Ancillary Metal Centers in Frustrated Lewis Pair Chemistry: Ruthenium Acetylide as a Lewis Base in the Activation of CO2, Aldehyde, and Alkyne

The combination of (indenyl)­Ru­(PPh3)2(CCPh) (1) with B­(C6F4H)3 or Al­(C6F5)3 generates FLPs that are shown to react with CO2, aldehyde, and alkyne to generated new C–C bonds. While in these reactions the metal center is ancillary, subsequent reaction of the alkyne addition product with additional alkyne prompts Ru vinylidene chemistry that releases the new organic fragment from Ru.