Polyyn-diyls capped by diruthenium termini: a new family of carbon-rich organometallic compounds and distance-dependent electronic coupling therein.

Polyyn-diyls capped by Ru(2)(ap)(4) termini (ap = 2-anilinopyridinate), that is, [Ru2(ap)4](mu-C,C'-C2m)[Ru2(ap)4] (compounds 1-5 with m = 1-4 and 6), were synthesized through either a metathesis reaction between Ru2(ap)4Cl and LiC(2m)Li or a Glaser homocoupling reaction of Ru2(ap)4(CmH) under Eglinton/Hay conditions. X-ray diffraction studies of compounds 2 and 4 revealed both the linear rigid rod topology of these compounds and the fine structural details about the Ru2 cores and polyyn-diyl chains. Cyclic and differential pulse voltammetric (CV and DPV) measurements and spectroelectrochemical studies show that reduced and oxidized forms of 1, 2, 4, and 5 are donor-acceptor systems in which the Ru2 termini are coupled to varying degrees depending upon the length of the polyyn-diyl bridge.