Ligand connected metal clusters. The molecular structures and solid state packing of {Ru3(CO)11}2(bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane) and {Ru3(CO)11}2(1,4-bis(diphenylphosphino)benzene)

The preparation and structural characterization of {Ru₃(CO)₁₁}₂(1,4-bis(diphenylphosphino)benzene), a modified synthesis of 1,4-bis(diphenylphosphino)benzene, and the structural characterization of {Ru₃(CO)₁₁}₂(bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane) are reported. In both compounds two metal cluster units are connected through ditertiary-phosphine ligands. Both molecules consist of centrosymmetric units in which the diphosphine ligands are largely covered by the triangular ruthenium clusters. No direct interaction between the two cluster units occurs within individual molecules. Molecular packing in the solid state is dominated by interactions between sets of carbon monoxide ligands in motifs that were previously identified in the solid state structure of the parent cluster, Ru₃(CO)₁₂.