Isolation of ruthenium formyl complexes: Insight into the metal-mediated cleavage reaction of carbon-carbon triple bond

We describe a simple and efficient ruthenium-catalyzed reaction in which propargylic alcohol HCCC(Ph)2OH is split into carbon monoxide CO, formaldehyde H2CO and ketone (Ph)2CO via cleavage of carbon-carbon triple and single bonds. A plausible reaction mechanism is proposed on the basis of ruthenium vinyl and formyl intermediates