Cationic arene ruthenium(II) complexes bearing N, S chelating thiocarboxamides: Synthesis, structure, characterization and catalytic oxidation of alcohols

A series of conformationally rigid half-sandwich diamagnetic cationic organoruthenium(II) complexes with the general formula [Ru(η6-p-cymene)(AsPh3)(L)] [where, L = pyridine-2-thiocarboxamide ligand] have been synthesized from the reaction of [Ru(η6-p-cymene)Cl2]2 with bidentate thiocarboxamide ligands and AsPh3 in methanol in 1:2 M ratio. All the arene ruthenium(II) complexes were fully characterized by FT–IR, 1H NMR, and UV–Vis spectroscopy as well as elemental analysis. The solid-state structure of one of the complexes [Ru(η6-p-cymene)(AsPh3)(L4)]BPh4 has been determined by single crystal X-ray crystallography. Further, the catalytic efficiency of one of the complexes (4) has been investigated in the case of oxidation of primary and secondary alcohols into their corresponding aldehydes and ketones in the presence of N- methylmorpholine-N-oxide.