Crystal structure of [1,3-bis(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)imidazolidin-2-ylidene]dichlorido(2-{[(2- methoxy- ethyl)(methyl)amino]methyl}benzylidene)ruthenium

The title compound, [RuCl2(C33H43N3O)], is an example of a new generation of N,N-dialkyl ruthenium catalysts with an N-Ru coordination bond as part of a six-membered chelate ring. The Ru atom has an Addison tau parameter of 0.244, which indicates a geometry intermediate between square-based pyramidal and trigonal-bipyramidal. The complex shows the usual trans arrangement of the two chlorides, with Ru-Cl bond lengths of 2.3515 (8) and 2.379 (7) angstrom, and a Cl-Ru-Cl angle of 158.02 (3)degrees. One of the chlorine atoms and the atoms of the 2-methoxy-N-methyl-N-[(2-methylphenyl)methyl]ethane-1-amine group of the title complex display disorder over two positions in a 0.889 (2): 0.111 (2) ratio.