Select Ruthenium Complexes as Potential Candidates for Thiol Ligation

Hydrodesulfurization is an industrial process used to remove sulfur impurities from fossil fuel feedstocks in order to prevent air pollution and acid deposition. The sulfur impurities are passed over a transition-metal sulfide catalyst producing pure hydrocarbons and usable sulfur byproduct. The current process occurs under high temperature and pressure. Molecular models of the catalyst/substrate interaction have been synthesized in order to study the electron density about the sulfur atom and thus give insight to the HDS activity of the complexes.;CpRu(dppe)Cl and Ru(9S3)(dmso)Cl2 were studied for their ability to coordinate thiols. A new preparative method using microwave-assisted synthesis was found for the HDS model starting compound Ru(9S3)(dmso)Cl.