Oxidation of the facial-type trichloridoruthenium(III) complex bearing ethylbis(2-pyridyl-methyl)amine (ebpma), fac-[RuIIICl3(ebpma)], with an equimolecular amount of (NH4)2[CeIV(NO3)6] in acetonitrile afforded a ligand-based oxidation product of an acetonitriledichloridoruthenium(III) complex having bis(2-pyridylcarbonyl)aminato (bpca), [RuIIICl2(NCCH3)(bpca)]. The complex changed into a trichloridoruthenium(III) complex by a reaction with hydrochloric acid and the triacetonitrileruthenium(II) complex by reduction with Zn in ethanol–acetonitrile. The bpca moiety showed interactions with cations such as protons.
