Reactions of dicarboxylic acids with [Ru(CO)3(PPh3)2]

To obtain water soluble transition-metal complexes, complexes obtained by reaction between [Ru(CO)3(PPh3)2] and dicarboxylic acids have been studied. The derivative obtained with oxalic acid, [Ru(O2CCO2H)2(CO)2(PPh3)2] (2), dissolves in water when treated with NEt3 and reacts with [Pt(PPh3)3] to give [Ru(CO)2(PPh3)2(μ-O2CCO2)2Pt(PPh3)2] (5).