Versatile, efficient and robust (pre)catalysts are pivotal in accelerating the discovery and optimization of chemical reactions, shaping diverse synthetic fields such as cross-coupling, C–H functionalization and polymer chemistry. Yet, their scarcity in certain domains has hindered the advancement and adoption of new applications. Here we present a highly reactive air- and moisture-stable ruthenium precatalyst [(^tBuCN)₅Ru(H₂O)](BF₄)₂, featuring a key exchangeable water ligand. This versatile precatalyst drives an array of transformations, including late-stage C(sp²)–H arylation, primary/secondary alkylation, methylation, hydrogen/deuterium exchange, C(sp³)–H oxidation, alkene isomerization and oxidative cleavage, consistently outperforming conventionally used ruthenium (pre)catalysts. The generality and applicability of this precatalyst is exemplified through the potential for rapid screening and optimization of photocatalytic reactions with a suite of in situ generated ruthenium photocatalysts containing hitherto unknown complexes, and through the rapid discovery of reactivities previously unreported for ruthenium. The diverse applicability observed is suggestive of a generic platform for reaction simplification and accelerated synthetic discovery that will enable broader applicability and accessibility to state-of-the-art ruthenium catalysis.

多功能、高效且稳定的（预）催化剂对于加速化学反应的发现和优化、塑造交叉偶联、C-H 官能化和聚合物化学等不同的合成领域至关重要。然而，它们在某些领域的稀缺阻碍了新应用程序的进步和采用。在这里，我们提出了一种高反应性的空气和湿气稳定的钌预催化剂 [( ^t BuCN) ₅ Ru(H ₂ O)](BF ₄ ) ₂，具有关键的可交换水配体。这种多功能预催化剂可持续驱动一系列转化，包括后期 C( sp ² )–H 芳基化、一级/二级烷基化、甲基化、氢/氘交换、C( sp ³ )–H 氧化、烯烃异构化和氧化裂解优于传统使用的钌（预）催化剂。这种预催化剂的普遍性和适用性通过一系列原位生成的含有迄今未知的配合物的钌光催化剂来快速筛选和优化光催化反应的潜力，以及通过快速发现以前未报道的钌反应性来例证。观察到的多样化适用性暗示了反应简化和加速合成发现的通用平台，这将使最先进的钌催化具有更广泛的适用性和可及性。