Efficient and Rapid Synthesis of Chlorido-Bridged Half-Sandwich Complexes of Ruthenium, Rhodium, and Iridium by Microwave Heating.

The dinuclear complexes [( p-cymene)RuCl₂]₂ and [(cyclopentadienyl)MCl₂]₂ (M = Ru, Rh, Ir) are important starting materials in organometallic chemistry. The standard synthesis of these complexes involves heating of an alcoholic solution of Ru^III, Rh^III, or Ir^III salts with precursors of the π-ligands for several hours under reflux. Microwave heating allows these complexes to be obtained within a few minutes without compromising the yields. Furthermore, the microwave-assisted syntheses require less solvent and, in some cases, lower amounts of ligand precursors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]