chemistry

Nitrosylruthenium(II) nitrate

Nitrosylruthenium(II) nitrate is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Nitrosylruthenium(II) nitrate rather than just read about it. In short: Nitrosylruthenium(II) nitrate refers to a group of mostly ill-defined inorganic metal nitrosyl complexes with the general formula Ru(NO)Lx(NO3)y, where L is a ligand. They are all orange or red amorphous and glassy solids.

Key takeaways

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Reference excerpt

Nitrosylruthenium(II) nitrate refers to a group of mostly ill-defined inorganic metal nitrosyl complexes with the general formula Ru(NO)Lx(NO3)y, where L is a ligand. They are all orange or red amorphous and glassy solids. The only well-characterized simple nitrosylruthenium(II) trinitrate is the diammine complex, RuNO(NH3)2(NO3)3, which is a yellow crystalline solid.

History The first nitrosylruthenium compound to be prepared was the 'chloride' (formulated Ru(NO)Cl3), first prepared by Karl Ernst Claus in 1844 while isolating and purifying ruthenium, but was wrongly identified as the chloro-ruthenate (K2RuCl6) by Jöns Jacob Berzelius due to the similar molecular weight of chloride (MW = 35.45) and nitrosyl (MW = 30.00). It was later correctly characterized by Antoine Joly in 1888, who also produced the 'hydroxide', which he formulated as (RuNO)2O3·2H2O. Nitrate derivatives, however, were not identified until 1955. They were all produced by dissolving the 'hydroxide' in nitric acid, then evaporating the solution. Various ill-defined hydrates and basic solids have been reported.

Structure The solid commercially available as nitrosylruthenium(II) nitrate, nominally Ru(NO)(NO3)3, is a red-colored ill-defined mixture with the approximate formula Ru(NO)(NO3)2.13(OH)0.87(H2O)2. Other simple nitrosylruthenium(II) nitrates are also not structurally characterized. This is likely due to the polymerization of nitratoaqua complexes via the OH and NO3 bridging groups. The only structurally characterized simple nitrosylruthenium(II) trinitrate through single-crystal X-ray diffraction is the diammine complex, RuNO(NH3)2(NO3)3. It consists of repeating distorted mer-[Ru(NO)(NH3)2(NO3)3] octahedra and crystallises in an orthorhombic crystal structure. However, the ruthenium centers are in two slightly different environments due to the different torsion angles between the two trans-coordinated nitrate anions. In the complex, the nitrosyl is N-bonded with a ~180° Ru-N-O bond angle signalling the presence of the NO+ cation. The fac isomer of the diammine complex has also been reported, but the structure has not been fully elucidated.

Preparation and properties The simple 'nitrosylruthenium(II) nitrate' is prepared by the reaction of ruthenium(III) chloride and nitrous acid, followed by the precipitation of the 'hydroxide', formulated "Ru(NO)(OH)3". The 'hydroxide' is then treated with nitric acid to yield the 'hydrated nitrosylruthenium(II) nitrate'. Heating to hydrate to 100 °C produces the 'anhydrous Ru(NO)(NO3)3'. It is soluble in various organic solvents, such as diethyl ether and methyl ethyl ketone. This property has been investigated for the solvent extraction of radioactive ruthenium from nitric acid solutions. It is also soluble in water, but slowly undergoes hydrolysis. 'Nitrosylruthenium(II) nitrate' decomposes to ruthenium(IV) oxide at around 250 °C. It also reacts with various acids, such as oxalic acid, sulfuric acid, and hydrofluoric acid to produce other ill-defined nitrosylruthenium salts. Silicon dioxide-deposited 'nitrosylruthenium(II) nitrate' forms triruthenium dodecacarbonyl when heated under carbon monoxide. The preparation of the well-defined RuNO(NH3)2(NO3)3 is more complicated. First, ammonium pentachloronitrosoruthenate (produced from the reaction of ruthenium(III) chloride, sodium nitrite, and nitric acid in hydrochloric acid) is heated to 330 °C:

(NH4)2[Ru(NO)Cl5] → [Ru(NO)(NH3)2Cl3] + 2HCl↑ Then the resulting complex is reacted with an aqueous sodium nitrite solution:

2 Ru(NO)(NH3)2Cl3 + 7 NaNO2 + H2O → 2 RuNO(NH3)2(NO2)2OH + 6NaCl + NaNO3 + 2NO↑ Finally, RuNO(NH3)2(NO2)2OH is reacted with concentrated nitric acid to yield diamminenitrosylruthenium(II) nitrate as the mer isomer. It is a yellow crystalline solid poorly soluble in water, ethanol, and acetone.

Other complexes

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Nitrosylruthenium(II) nitrate

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Nitrosylruthenium(II) nitrate claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Nitrosylruthenium(II) nitrate before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Nitrosylruthenium(II) nitrate ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Nitrosylruthenium(II) nitrate

In research: Nitrosylruthenium(II) nitrate appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Nitrosylruthenium(II) nitrate in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Nitrosylruthenium(II) nitrate is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Nitrates, Ruthenium compounds, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Nitrosylruthenium(II) nitrate outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Nitrosylruthenium(II) nitrate in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Nitrosylruthenium(II) nitrate means in your own words.
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Frequently asked questions

What is Nitrosylruthenium(II) nitrate in simple terms?

Why does Nitrosylruthenium(II) nitrate matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Nitrosylruthenium(II) nitrate?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Nitrosylruthenium(II) nitrate.