Convenient preparation of mononuclear and dinuclear ruthenium hydride complexes for catalytic application

A mixture of commercially available [Ru(cod)(η3-C4H7)2] and PCy3 reacts with H2 to give [RuH2(H2)2(PCy3)2] in high yields, whereas [Ru{Cy2P(CH2)3PCy2}(η3-C4H7)2] leads to [{Cy2P(CH2)3PCy2}RuH(µ-H)3Ru(H2){Cy2P(CH2)3PCy2}] under identical conditions; this new synthetic procedure provides convenient access to this type of ruthenium hydrides for investigation of their potential in catalytic reactions like the Murai-reaction.