Cyclometallated ruthenium complexes with P-stereogenic monophosphines containing a polycyclic aromatic substituent

Reactions of optically pure P-stereogenic ortho-tolyl substituted phosphines with [RuCl2(p-cymene)]2 afforded the corresponding κP-coordinated ruthenium(II) dichlorides (C1′, C2’) even in the presence of sodium acetate. In contrast, the ruthenium cyclometallated (κ2-C,P) complexes (C3–C9) were obtained with phosphines containing a polycyclic aromatic substituent (L3-L9), namely 1-naphthyl, 9-phenanthryl or 1-pyrenyl. Some diastereoselectivity in the cyclometallation process has been observed for the most bulky ligands. The new compounds have been used as catalytic precursors in the reduction of acetophenone to 1-phenylethanol by transfer hydrogenation.