ABSTRACT: Two bis-ruthenium(II) complexes, namely N,N'-{5,17-diamino-4(24),6(10),12(16),18(22)-tetramethylenedioxy-2,8,14,20-tetrapentylresorcin[4]arene}-bis-[dichloro-(p-cymene)-ruthenium(II)] (1) and N,N'-{5,11-diamino-4(24),6(10),12(16), 18(22)-tetramethylenedioxy-2,8,14,20-tetrapentylresorcin[4]arene}-bis-[dichloro-(p-cymene)-ruthenium(II)] (2) were synthesized and tested as catalysts in the N-alkylation of primary amines with arylmethyl alcohol using the green "hydrogen borrowing" methodology. The catalytic results were compared with those obtained when the N-{5-amino-4(24),6(10),12(16),18(22)-tetramethylenedioxy-2,8,14,20-tetrapentyl-resorcin[4]arene}-[dichloro-(p-cymene)-ruthenium(II)] (3) complex was employed
