Rupture of a PS bond in a disulfurimidophosphinate ligand. The X-ray crystal structures of [(μ2-H)Ru3(μ3-S){μ2-S,S,P′-(SPPh2)(PPh2)N}(CO)8] and [(μ2-H)Ru3{μ2-S,S,P′-(SPPh2)(PPh2)N}(CO)9]

The reaction of [Ru3(CO)12] with (SPR2)2NH produced, initially, [(μ2-H)Ru3(μ3-S){μ2-S,S,P′-(SPPh2)(PPh2)N}(CO)8 and [(μ2-H)Ru3{μ2-S,S,P′-(SPPh2)(PPh2)N}(CO)9] in which for both compounds one of the PS bonds of the ligand has been broken while the other PS group is bonded through the sulfur atom to two ruthenium atoms. In one of the compounds described, the lost sulfur atom moves to a triply bridging position bonded to the triangle of metal atoms. In the second compound, the sulfur atom is lost.