In rare cases, carbido ligands are terminal. One example is  with a Ru-C distance of 163 pm, typical for a triple bond. The complex can be obtained by metathesis of vinyl acetate to give  results in a metastable  complex, which eliminates acetic acid.
Such transition metal, one coordinate-carbon bonded complexes are comparable to carbon monoxide, cyanide, and isonitrile analogues. These carbides can be used as synthons to access a wide range of carbyne complexes, the most notable being Fischer carbynes. American chemist Christopher C. Cummins is one of the pioneers of this area.