Ruthenium‐Assisted Tellurium Abstraction in Bis(thiophen‐2‐yl) Ditelluride

• Published in: European journal of inorganic chemistry 2023-05, Vol.26 (14), p.n/a
• Main Authors: Taimisto, Marjaana, Poropudas, Merja J., Rautiainen, J. Mikko, Oilunkaniemi, Raija, Laitinen, Risto S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: bis(thiophen-2-yl) ditellane; Decomposition; Inorganic chemistry; NMR spectroscopy; reaction mechanisms; Ruthenium; Substitution reactions; Tellurium; X-ray diffraction
• ISSN: 1434-1948; 1099-0682
• DOI: 10.1002/ejic.202200772

The reaction of [RuCl2(CO)3]2 and Te2Tpn2 (Tpn=thiophen‐2‐yl, C4H3S) in the absence of light resulted in the formation of cct‐[RuCl2(CO)2(TeTpn2)2] (1) [cis(Cl)‐cis(CO)‐trans(TeTpn2)] and TeTpn2 (2) together with the precipitation of tellurium. The complex 1 and the monotelluride 2 were characterized by NMR spectroscopy and single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. The decomposition of Te2Tpn2 to TeTpn2 has been monitored by 125Te NMR spectroscopy and seemed to be faster than the ligand substitution in [RuCl2(CO)3]2 by TeTpn2. A catalytic cycle is proposed for the decomposition of Te2Tpn2 to TeTpn2 based on the PBE0‐D3/def2‐TZVP calculations. The treatment of [RuCl2(CO)3]2 with Te2Tpn2 (Tpn=thiophen‐2‐yl, C4H3S) in the absence of light leads to the formation of TeTpn2 and Te(s), and eventually to the formation of [RuCl2(CO)2(TeTpn2)2]. The complex formation is slower than the dissociation of Te2Tpn2. The PBE0‐D3/def2‐TZVP calculations have been utilized to propose a catalytic cycle for the decomposition of Te2Tpn2 to TeTpn2.