Ready deprotonation of the protic solvento species [Ru ₂ (CO) ₅ (R′OH){µ-(RO) ₂ PN(Et)P(OR) ₂ } ₂ ] ²⁺ (R = Me or Pr i ; R′= H, Me, Et, etc.) and the formation of [Ru ₂ {µ-OC(O)}(CO) ₄ {µ-(RO) ₂ PN(Et)P(OR) ₂ } ₂ ] containing carbon dioxide in a bridging co-ordination mode

Treatment of [Ru2(µ-CO)(CO)4{µ-(RO)2PN(Et)P(OR)2}2](R = Me or Pri) with silver(I) salts in the presence of protic solvents of the type R′OH (R′= H, Me, Et, etc.) leads to the formation of the solvento species [Ru2(CO)5(R′OH){µ-(RO)2PN(Et)P(OR)2}2]2+ which is readily deprotonated and rearranges to afford [Ru2{µ-OC(OR′)}(CO)4{µ-(RO)2PN(Et)P(OR)2}2]+; [Ru2{µ-OC(OH)}(CO)4{µ-(RO)2PN(Et)P(OR)2}2]+ can be deprotonated further to give [Ru2{µ-OC(O)}(CO)4{µ-(RO)2PN(Et)P(OR)2}2] containing a bridging carbon dioxide group, confirmed X-ray crystallographically.