New cis-(1,2-azole)-aquo
bis(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II)
(1,2-azole (az*H) = pzH (pyrazole), dmpzH (3,5-dimethylpyrazole),
and indzH (indazole)) complexes are synthesized via chlorido abstraction
from cis-[Ru(bipy)2Cl(az*H)]OTf. The latter
are obtained from cis-[Ru(bipy)2Cl2] after the subsequent coordination of the 1,2-azole. All
the compounds are characterized by 1H, 13C, 15N NMR spectroscopy as well as IR spectroscopy. Two chlorido
complexes (pzH and indzH) and two aquo complexes (indzH and dmpzH)
are also characterized by X-ray diffraction. Photophysical and electrochemical
studies were carried out on all the complexes. The photophysical data
support the phosphorescence of the complexes. The electrochemical
behavior of all the complexes in an Ar atmosphere indicate that the
oxidation processes assigned to Ru(II) → Ru(III) occurs at
higher potentials in the aquo complexes. The reduction processes under
Ar lead to several waves, indicating that the complexes undergo successive
electron-transfer reductions that are centered in the bipy ligands.
The first electron reduction is reversible. The electrochemical behavior
in CO2 media is consistent with CO2 electrocatalyzed
reduction, where the values of the catalytic activity [i
cat(CO2)/i
p(Ar)]
ranged from 2.9 to 10.8. Controlled potential electrolysis of the
chlorido and aquo complexes affords CO and formic acid, with the latter
as the major product after 2 h. Photocatalytic experiments in MeCN
with [Ru(bipy)3]Cl2 as the photosensitizer and
TEOA as the electron donor, which were irradiated with >300 nm
light
for 24 h, led to CO and HCOOH as the main reduction products, achieving
a combined turnover number (TONCO+HCOO–
) as high as 107 for 2c after 24 h of irradiation.