Coordination Compounds as Building Blocks:  Single-Step Synthesis of Heteronuclear Multimetallic Complexes Containing RuII and OsII

A novel and powerful approach for the synthesis of heterometallic complexes containing RuII and OsII is described. Palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions between [(bpy)2M1(L1)]2+ and [(bpy)2M2(L2)]2+ (where L1 and L2 are bromo- and ethynyl-functionalized 1,10-phenanthroline ligands) provide heteronuclear complexes in a single synthetic step.