A ruthenium(II) bipyridine complex containing a 4,5-diazafluorene moiety: Synthesis, characterization and its applications in transfer hydrogenation of ketones and dye sensitized solar cells

The ruthenium(B) complex [Ru(bpy)(2)L](PF6)(2), where bpy is 2,2'-bipyridine and L is 1,5-dihydro-2-H-cyclopenta[1,2-b:5,4-b']dipyridine-2-one, was synthesized from the reaction of cis-Ru(bpy)(2)Cl-2 center dot 2H(2)O with L, and isolated as the hexafluorophosphate salt. The structure of L was unequivocally elucidated by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The new ruthenium(II) complex was thoroughly characterized by H-1 and C-13 NMR spectroscopy, along with FTIR, UV-Vis and LC MS/MS Triple Quadrupole Mass spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The catalytic activity of [Ru(bpy)(2)L](PF6)(2) was tested in the transfer hydrogenation of various ketones in 2-propanol as both the solvent and hydrogen donor. The usage of [Ru(bpy)(2)L](PF6)(2) for the formation of a dye sensitized solar cell is also presented. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.