Reinvestigation of the reaction of [Ru3(CO)12] with 2-mercaptobenzothiazole: X-ray structure of [(μ-H)2Ru3 (μ-η2-C7H4NS2)(μ3-η2-C7H4NS2)(CO)7]

Treatment of Ru3(CO)12 with 2-mercaptobenzothiazole at 68°C gave the known compound [(μ-H)Ru3(μ3-η2-C7H4NS2)(CO)9] 1 and the new compound [(μ-H)2Ru3(μ-η2-C7H4NS2) (μ3-η2-C7H4NS2)(CO)7] 2 in 15 and 10% yields respectively. Compound 2 has been characterized by elemental analysis, infrared, 1H NMR and mass spectroscopic data together with single crystal X-ray crystallography. It crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c with a = 31.662(6), b = 14.577(3), c = 11.602(2) Å, β = 104.15(3)°, Z = 8, and V = 5192.4(2) Å3. The compound consists of a Ru3 triangle with three different Ru-Ru bond lengths [2.75264, 2.79084, 2.97604 Å] and the two 2-mercaptobenzothiazole ligands are differently attached to the metal atoms. Compound 2 is also obtained by the reaction of 1 with excess 2-mercaptobenzothiazole at 68°C.