Preparation of Ruthenium and Osmium Carbonyl Complexes Using Microwave Heating: Demonstrating the Use of a Gas-Loading Accessory and Real-Time Reaction Monitoring by Means of a Digital Camera

By using a gas-loading accessory, we show that it is possible to perform reactions involving gases and prepare organometallic complexes easily in good yields using microwave heating. The complexes Ru₃(CO)₁₂, H₄Ru₄(CO)₁₂, and H₂Os₃(CO)₁₀ are prepared. Ligand substitution reactions of Ru₃(CO)₁₂ are also studied and, in the case of the reaction with triphenylphosphine, the reaction is monitored in real time by means of a digital camera interfaced with the microwave unit.