Abstract
The reactivity of transition metal cluster complexes has been of special interest in these days in the area of organometallic chemistry, owing to their capability of activating substrates through the cooperative effects of multiple metal centers. Unique reactivity of the transition metal clusters likely stems from their ability for multiple coordination of the substrate to the metal centers and the multi-electron transfer between the substrate and the cluster. Thus far, we have demonstrated numbers of examples of cooperative activation through extending the reaction chemistry of di- and triruthenium polyhydrido complexes, [(C5Me5)Ru]2(μ-H)4 and [(C5Me5)Ru]3(μ-H)2(μ3-H)2 (1). We report herein the remarkable shape-selectivity observed in the reactions of 1 with acyclic and cyclic 1,3-dienes and unusual skeletal rearrangements of trinuclear ruthenacyclic complexes including carbon-carbon bond scission/formation steps induced by the cooperative action of the adjacent metal centers.
