Organoruthenium chemistry

Organoruthenium chemistry is the chemistry of organometallic compounds containing a carbon to ruthenium chemical bond. Several organoruthenium catalysts are of commercial interest^[1] and organoruthenium compounds have been considered for cancer therapy.^[2] The chemistry has some stoichiometric similarities with organoiron chemistry, as iron is directly above ruthenium in group 8 of the periodic table. The most important reagents for the introduction of ruthenium are ruthenium(III) chloride and triruthenium dodecacarbonyl.

In its organometallic compounds, ruthenium is known to adopt oxidation states from -2 ([Ru(CO)₄]²⁻) to +6 ([RuN(Me)4]⁻). Most common are those in the 2+ oxidation state, as illustrated below.

• 
  1st generation Grubbs catalyst
• 
  Shvo catalyst
• 
  (cymene)ruthenium dichloride dimer
• 
  triruthenium dodecacarbonyl.
• 
  chloro(cyclopentadienyl)bis(triphenylphosphine)ruthenium
• 
  pentamethylcyclopentadienyl ruthenium dichloride dimer