Haloalkanes C-X Bond Activation by a Ru(II) complex : X-ray Characterization of a Ru(III) Intermediate Species in the Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization of Methyl Methacrylate

Abstract

The binuclear Ru(II) N2-bridged complex [{RuCl2(NN'N)}2(-N2)] (1; NN'N = 2,6-bis[(dimethylamino)methyl]pyridine) promotes the atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of methyl methacrylate under mild conditions. The intermediate paramagnetic Ru(III) species mer-[RuCl3(NN'N)] (2) has been isolated and characterized by X-ray diffraction methods. The reaction of 1 with CH2Cl2 gives the dichloromethyl Ru(II) complex [RuCl(CHCl2)(NN'N)] (3).