Syntheses, structure characterisation and X-ray structures of the complexes Ru3(CO)11L [LÂ =Â Ph2P(C6H4Me-p), Ph2PC6F5, P(C6H4Cl-p)3, P(3,5-CF3-C6H3)3 and P(C6H4Me-p)3]

Five trinuclear monosubstituted complexes of the type Ru3(CO)11L were synthesised by the reaction of Ru3(CO)12 with phosphine ligands (L) using the radical anion catalysed method. The structures of the resulting clusters were elucidated by means of elemental analyses and spectroscopic methods, including IR and NMR spectroscopy. X-ray crystallographic studies of all the five complexes were carried out. In all the five monosubstituted complexes, the ligand occupies the equatorial position due to steric reasons and coordination of the ligands are only at the phosphorus atom. The effect of substitution resulted in significant differences in the Ru-Ru distances. Out of the three Ru-Ru bonds, the one which is cis to the ligand is noticeably longer. The equatorial Ru-CO moieties are almost linear while the axial CO groups are slightly bent.