Desulfurization of Benzo[<i>b</i>]thiophene by S/Ru Exchange: Formation and Structure of the Cluster [Ru₃(CO)₈(C₈H₆)]

Abstract

The desulfurization of fossil fuels by transition-metal catalysis is a step closer to reality. The example of benzo[b]thiophene, whose reactivity resembles that of the sulfur-containing components of crude oil, demonstrates the substitution of S by Ru to yield sulfur-free organometallic compounds such as the trinuclear 50-electron cluster 1.