The reactivities of transition metal coordination compounds are often controlled by the environment around the coordination sphere. For ruthenium(II) complexes, differences in polypyridyl supporting ligands affect some types of reactivity despite identical coordination geometries. To evaluate the synergistic effects of (i) the supporting ligands, and (ii) the coordination geometry, a series of dicarbonyl-ruthenium(II) complexes that contain both asymmetric and symmetric bidentate polypyridyl ligands were synthesized. Molecular structures of the complexes were determined by X-ray crystallography to distinguish their steric configuration. Structural, computational, and electrochemical analysis revealed some differences between the isomers. Photo- and thermal reactions indicated that the reactivities of the complexes were significantly affected by both their structures and the ligands involved.
Keywords: bipyridine; carbonyl complex; crystal structure; isomerization; naphthyridine; phenanthroline; ruthenium.