This project, funded by the Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organometallic Chemistry Program, focusses on several aspects of the chemistry of complexes that contain the ruthenium- pentamethylcyclopentadienylnitrosyl moiety. Specific objectives include 1) the investigation of carbon-carbon bond formation in alkyl-chloromethyl complexes, 2) generation of alkyl complex cations (by protonation of dialkyl precursors) and the study of their reactions with nucleophiles such as water, amines, alkynes, olefins and CO, 3) generation of the rutheniumpentamethylcyclopentadienylnitrosyl dication and examination of its reactions with nucleophiles. The information obtained from these studies are expected to provide insight into C-C and C-E (E = N, O) bond formation, alpha and beta migratory insertion and elimination processes, oxidative addition/reductive elimination of C-H bonds, and catalytic oxidation of alcohols. %%% This project involves the study of the fundamental reactivity properties of a class of organoruthenium compounds. The results of this work are expected to impact several types of catalytic reactions of significant technological importance.
