Synthesis, crystal structure and catalytic activity in reductive amination of di­chlorido­(η(6)-p-cymene)(2′-di­cyclo­hexyl­phosphanyl-2,6-di­meth­oxy­biphen­yl-κP)ruthenium(II)

The title compound, [RuCl(2)(C(10)H(14))(C(26)H(35)O(2)P)] (I), crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2(1)/c with two crystallographically independent mol­ecules (A and B) in the asymmetric unit. The geometries of both mol­ecules are very similar and distinguished only by the twist angles of the two benzene rings in the phosphine substituents [89.54 (14) and 78.36 (14)° for mol­ecules A and B, respectively]. The Ru atoms have classical pseudo-tetra­hedral piano-stool coordination environments. The conformation of each mol­ecule is stabilized by intra­molecular C—H⋯O and C—H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds and C—H⋯π inter­actions. The two mol­ecules are linked by a C—H⋯Cl hydrogen bond. In the crystal, the mol­ecules are further linked by C—H⋯ π inter­actions, forming –A–B–A–B– chains propagating along the a-axis direction. Complex I is an active catalyst for reductive amination reaction. The catalytic activity of this complex can be explained by the lability of the p-cymene ligand, which can be replaced by two-electron ligands such as CO or amine.