Synthetic, spectroscopic, and structural studies of bis(2-methyl-4-phenylpentadienyl)ruthenium, Ru(2-CH3-4-C6H5C5H5)2: characterization of isomeric open ruthenocenes

Ru(2-methyl-4-phenylpentadienyl)2 has been isolated from the reaction of ruthenium chloride complexes with the appropriate diene and zinc metal in ethanol. The complex exists as a pair of diastereomers, which could be readily separated due to their significantly different solubilities. Structural studies reveal, as expected, that one of the isomers exists in the C1 point group, while the other possesses (noncrystallographic) C2 symmetry.