Ruthenium complexes with a tetradentate salicylaldimine Schiff base

Abstract

New salicylaldimine chelates of divalent and trivalent ruthenium have been synthesized from RuCl₂(PPh₃)₃. The Ru^II complex trans- Ru(salen)(PPh₃)₂ is stable in the solid but very unstable to oxidation in solution. The Ru^III derivative, Ru(salen)Cl(PPh₃), displays magnetic and e.s.r. properties consistent with a low-spin d⁵ system under a ligand-field of rhombic symmetry.