Ruthenium thio- and seleno-nitrosyl complexes containing chelating sulfur and oxygen ligands have been synthesised and their de-chalcogenation reactions have been studied. The reaction of mer-[Ru(N)Cl3(AsPh3)2] with elemental sulfur and selenium in tetrahydrofuran at reflux afforded the chalcogenonitrosyl complexes mer-[Ru(NX)Cl3(AsPh3)2] [X = S (1), Se (2)]. Treatment of 1 with KN(R2PS)2 afforded trans-[Ru(NS)Cl{N(R2PS)2}2] [R = Ph (3), Pri (4), But (5)]. Alternatively, the thionitrosyl complex 5 was obtained from [Bun4N][Ru(N)Cl4] and KN(But2PS)2, presumably via sulfur atom transfer from [N(But2PS)2]− to the nitride. Reactions of 1 and 2 with NaLOEt (LOEt− = [Co(η5-C5H5){P(O)(LOEt)2}3]−) gave [Ru(NX)LOEtCl2] (X = S (8), Se (9)). Treatment of [Bun4N][Ru(N)Cl4] with KN(R2PS)2 produced RuIV–RuIV μ-nitrido complexes [Ru2(μ-N){N(R2PS)2}4Cl] [R = Ph (6), Pri (7)]. Reactions of 3 and 9 with PPh3 afforded 6 and [Ru(NPPh3)LOEtCl2], respectively. The desulfurisation of 5 with [Ni(cod)2] (cod = 1,5-cyclooctadiene) gave the mixed valance RuIII–RuIV μ-nitrido complex [Ru2(μ-N){N(But2PS)2}4] (10) that was oxidised by [Cp2Fe](PF6) to give the RuIV–RuIV complex [Ru2(μ-N){N(But2PS)2}4](PF6) ([10]PF6). The crystal structures of 1, 2, 3, 7, 9 and 10 have been determined.
