Pentaamine(nitrogen)ruthenium(II) chloride is an

inorganic compound An inorganic compound is typically a chemical compound that lacks carbon–hydrogen bonds⁠that is, a compound that is not an organic compound. The study of inorganic compounds is a subfield of chemistry known as ''inorganic chemistry''. Inorgan ...

with the formula u(NH₃)₅(N₂)l₂. It is a nearly white solid, but its solutions are yellow. The cationic complex is of historic significance as the first compound with N₂ bound to a metal center. u(NH₃)₅(N₂)sup>2+ adopts an octahedral structure with C_4v symmetry.

Preparation and properties

Pentaamine(nitrogen)ruthenium(II) chloride is synthesized in an aqueous solution from pentaamminechlororuthenium(III) chloride,

sodium azide Sodium azide is an inorganic compound with the formula . This colorless salt is the gas-forming component in some car airbag systems. It is used for the preparation of other azide compounds. It is highly soluble in water and is acutely poisonou ...

, and methanesulfonic acid:Allen, A. D., Bottomley, F., Harris, R. O., Reinsalu, V. P., Senoff, C. V. "Pentaammine(Nitrogen)Ruthenium(II) Salts and Other Ammines of Ruthenium" ''Inorganic Syntheses'', 2007, volume 12, pp. 2-8. : u(NH₃)₅Cll₂ + NaN₃ → u(NH₃)₅N₂l₂ + ... If it is to be used ''in situ'', the cation can be made more conveniently from ruthenium(III) chloride and hydrazine hydrate: :RuCl₃ + 4 N₂H₄ → u(NH₃)₅N₂sup>2+ + ... This N₂ complex is stable in aqueous solution and has a relatively low ligand exchange rate with water. Being a d⁶ complex, the Ru-N bond is stabilized by the

pi backbonding In chemistry, pi backbonding or π backbonding is a π-bonding interaction between a filled (or half filled) orbital of a transition metal atom and a vacant orbital on an adjacent ion or molecule. In this type of interaction, electrons from the ...

, the donation of metal d-electrons into the N₂ π* orbitals. The related metal ammine complex s(NH₃)₅(N₂)sup>2+ is also known.

Reactions

The dinitrogen ligand is not reduced by aqueous sodium borohydride. Nearly all known reactions of this compound are displacement reactions. Pentaamine(halogen)ruthenium(II) halides can be synthesized by treating u(NH₃)₅N₂sup>2+ with halide sources: : u(NH₃)₅N₂sup>2+ + X⁻ → u(NH₃)₅Xsup>+ + N₂ u(NH₃)₅N₂sup>2+ forms the symmetrically bridging symmetrical dinitrogen complex NH₃)₅Ru-NN-Ru(NH₃)₅sup>4+.{{cite journal, doi=10.1351/pac197024020425 , title=Molecular Nitrogen as a Ligand , date=1970 , last1=Chatt , first1=J. , journal=Pure and Applied Chemistry , volume=24 , issue=2 , pages=425–442

References

Ruthenium complexes Chlorides Coordination complexes Ammine complexes Ruthenium(II) compounds Nitrogen compounds