Cyclometallated ruthenium complexes typically exhibit red-shifted absorption bands and lower photolability compared to their polypyridyl analogues. They also have lower symmetry, which sometimes makes their synthesis challenging. In this work, the coordination of four N,S bidentate ligands, 3-(methylthio)propylamine (mtpa), 2-(methylthio)ethylamine (mtea), 2-(methylthio)ethyl-2-pyridine (mtep), and 2-(methylthio)methylpyridine (mtmp), to the cyclometallated precursor [Ru(bpy)(phpy)(CH3 CN)2 ]+ (bpy=2,2'-bipyridine, Hphpy=2-phenylpyridine) has been investigated, furnishing the corresponding heteroleptic complexes [Ru(bpy)(phpy)(N,S)]PF6 ([2]PF6 -[5]PF6 , respectively). The stereoselectivity of the synthesis strongly depended on the size of the ring formed by the Ru-coordinated N,S ligand, with [2]PF6 and [4]PF6 being formed stereoselectively, but [3]PF6 and [5]PF6 being obtained as mixtures of inseparable isomers. The exact stereochemistry of the air-stable complex [4]PF6 was established by a combination of DFT, 2D NMR, and single-crystal X-ray crystallographic studies. Finally, [4]PF6 was found to be photosubstitutionally active under irradiation with green light in acetonitrile, which makes it the first cyclometallated ruthenium complex capable of undergoing selective photosubstitution of a bidentate ligand.
Keywords: chelates; coordination isomers; cyclometallation; photoactivated chemotherapy; photosubstitution; ruthenium.
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