Characteristics and reactivity of ruthenium-oxo complexes.

In this perspective, we have surveyed the synthetic procedure, characteristics, and reactivity of high-valent ruthenium-oxo complexes. The ruthenium-oxo complexes have served as ideal species to elucidate the characteristics of metal-oxo complexes in terms of not only geometrical and electronic structures but also oxidation reactivity and mechanisms of oxidation reactions. Due to the high stability and excellent reversibility of redox processes, ruthenium-oxo complexes have provided significant mechanistic insights into the oxidation of organic compounds including alcohols, alkenes, and alkanes and also water on the basis of detailed kinetic analysis.