Coordination-driven self-assembly of arene ruthenium metalla-rectangles

Series of tetranuclear arene ruthenium complexes of the general formula [Ru-4(p-cymene)(4)(mu(2)-N boolean AND N)(2) (mu(4)-OO boolean AND OO2][CF3SO3](4) (N boolean AND N = 2,5- dipyridyl-thiophene (dptp), 3,6-dipyridyl-1,2,4,5-tetrazine (dptz), 3,6-dipyridyl-1,4-dihydro-1,2,4,5-tetrazine (dpdt)) were prepared by reacting the dinuclear arene ruthenium complexes Ru-2(p-cymene)(2)(mu(4)-OO boolean AND OO)Cl-2 (OO boolean AND OO = oxalato (oxa), 2,5-dioxido-1,4-benzoquinonato (dobq), 2,5-dichloro-1,4-benzoquinonato (dClbq), 2,5-dioxido-3-undecyl-1,4-benzoquinonato (dubq), 5,8-dioxido-1,4-naphtoquinonato (donq)) with silver trifluoromethanesulfonate, followed by the addition of the corresponding N boolean AND N linkers. All metalla-rectangles were characterized by standard techniques, including infrared, UV-visible, H-1, C-13 NMR spectroscopy and ESI mass spectrometry: Thus confirming the rectangular structure of the complexes, and showing the facility of forming tetranuclear arene ruthenium metalla-rectangles. (C) 2017 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.