Azido-(1,1-diphenyl-methanimine-N)[hydridotris(pyrazolyl-N κ²)borato](triphenyl-phosphine-P)ruthenium(II) diethyl ether solvate

The reaction of [RuCl(C9H10BN6)(C18H15P)2] with benzo-phenone imine in methanol, in the presence of sodium azide, leads to the formation of the title compound, [Ru(C9H10BN6)(N3)(HN=CPh2)(C18H15P)]·C4H10O, which crystallizes as the diethyl ether solvate. In the crystal structure, the Ru atom is coordinated by three N atoms of one hydridotris(pyrazoly)borate anion, one P atom of one triphenyl-phosphine ligand, one N atom of the azide anion and one N atom of the benzophenone-imine ligand in a slightly distorted octa-hedral geometry. The azide anion is almost linear [177.0 (5)°], with an Ru - N - N angle of 125.9 (3)°. There is a small difference between the N - N distances [1.200 (5) and 1.164 (5) Å], the longer bond being adjacent to the Ru atom.