Methandiide as a non-innocent ligand in carbene complexes: from the electronic structure to bond activation reactions and cooperative catalysis.

The synthesis of a ruthenium carbene complex based on a sulfonyl-substituted methandiide and its application in bond activation reactions and cooperative catalysis is reported. In the complex, the metal-carbon interaction can be tuned between a Ru-C single bond with additional electrostatic interactions and a Ru=C double bond, thus allowing the control of the stability and reactivity of the complex. Hence, activation of polar and non-polar bonds (O-H, H-H) as well as dehydrogenation reactions become possible. In these reactions the carbene acts as a non-innocent ligand supporting the bond activation as nucleophilic center in the 1,2-addition across the metal-carbon double bond. This metal-ligand cooperativity can be applied in the catalytic transfer hydrogenation for the reduction of ketones. This concept opens new ways for the application of carbene complexes in catalysis.