Half-sandwich ruthenium(II) complexes containing η 6-coordinated 3phenylpropanol and phosphinous acid-type ligands, namely [RuCl2(η 6-C6H5CH2CH2CH2OH){P(OH)R2}] (R = Me (2a), Ph (2b), 4-C6H4CF3 (2c), 4-C6H4OMe (2d), OMe (2e), OEt (2f), OPh (2g)), have been synthesized in 44-88% yield by reacting [RuCl2{η 6 :κ 1 (O)-C6H5CH2CH2CH2OH}] (1) with the appropriate pentavalent phosphorous oxide R2P(=O)H. The structure of [RuCl2(η 6-C6H5CH2CH2CH2OH){P(OH)Me2}] (2a) was unequivocally confirmed by X-ray diffraction methods. Compounds 2a-g proved to be catalytically active in the isomerization of allylbenzenes into the corresponding (1-propenyl)benzene derivatives employing water as the sole reaction solvent, with [RuCl2(η 6-C6H5CH2CH2CH2OH){P(OH)(OPh)2}] (2g) showing the best performance and a broad substrate scope (73-93% isolated yields with E/Z ratios around 90:10 employing 1 mol% of 2g, 3 mol% of K2CO3, and performing the catalytic reactions at 80 ºC for 4-24 h). The results herein presented show for the first time the utility of phosphinous acids as auxiliary ligands for metal-catalyzed olefin isomerization processes, reactions in which a cooperative role for the P-OH unit is proposed. On the other hand, the utility of complexes 2a-g as catalysts for ortho-arylation reactions of 2-phenylpyridine in water is also briefly discussed. Scheme 2. Cooperative effect of PR2OH ligands in Ru-catalyzed C-H bond arylation processes. Concerning their preparation, transition metal complexes with phosphinous acids and related P-OH ligands are usually generated by reacting the appropriate metallic precursor with a pentavalent phosphorous oxide (Scheme 3). 1,4,6 In solution, these airstable compounds exist in equilibrium with their trivalent tautomers, which is driven towards the latter by coordination to the metal center. Although much less employed, alternative methods of synthesis involving the hydrolysis of P-C, P-Cl, P-N or P-OR bonds in coordinated phosphines, chlorophosphines, aminophosphines and phosphites, respectively, are also known. 4,7 Scheme 3. Synthesis of metal complexes with phosphinous acid ligands from secondary phosphine oxides. Very recently, we reported that hydrophilic arene-ruthenium(II) complexes containing η 6-coordinated 2-phenylethanol and 3-phenylpropanol ligands [RuCl2{η 6-C6H5CH2(CH2)nCH2OH}(L)] (n = 0, 1; L = phosphine or phosphite; A) are able to catalyze, in combination with NaOH, the transformation of diallyl ether derivatives B into synthetically useful γ,δ-unsaturated aldehydes D in water (Scheme 4). 8 The process