The tricobalt cluster PhCCo3(CO)9 (1) reacts with the bidentate phosphine ligand 2,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)maleic anhydride (bma) in the presence of added Me3NO to give the diphosphine-substituted cluster PhCCo3(CO)7(bma) (2). Cluster 2 is unstable in solution, readily losing CO to afford Co3(CO)6[(μ2-η2/η1-C(Ph)C=C(PPh2)C(O)OC(O)](μ2-PPh2) (3) as the sole observed product. VT-31P NMR measurements on cluster 2 indicate that the bma ligand functions as both a chelating and a bridging ligand. At -97 °C, 31P NMR analysis of 2 reveals a Keq of 5.7 in favor of the bridging isomer. The bridged bma cluster 2 is the only observed species above -50°C. The solid-state structure of 2 does not correspond to the major bridging isomer observed in solution but rather the minor chelating isomer. The conversion of 2 to 3 followed first-order kinetics, with the reaction rates being independent of the nature of the reaction solvent and strongly suppressed by added CO, supporting a dissociative loss of CO as the rate-determining step. The activation parameters for CO loss were determined to be ΔH≠ = 29.9 ± 2.2 kcal/mol and ΔS≠ = 21.6 ± 6 eu.

Thermolysis of CoRu(CO)7(m -PPh2) (1) in refluxing 1,2-dichloroethane in the presence of the diphosphine ligands 2,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)maleic anhydride (bma) and 4,5-bis(diphenylphosphino)-4-cyclopenten-1,3-dione (bpcd) furnishes the new mixed-metal complexes CoRu(CO)4(μ -P-P)(μ -PPh2) [where P-P = bma (3); bpcd (6)], along with trace amounts of the known complex CoRu(CO)6(PPh3)(μ -PPh2) (4). The requisite pentacarbonyl intermediates CoRu(CO)5(μ -P-P)(μ -PPh2) [where P-P = bma (2); bpcd (5)] have been prepared by separate routes and studied for their conversion to CoRu(CO)4(μ -P-P)(μ -PPh2). The complexes 2/3 and 5/6 have been isolated and fully characterized in solution by IR and NMR spectroscopy. The kinetics for the conversion of 2→3 and of 5→6 were measured by IR spectroscopy in chlorobenzene solvent. On the basis of the first-order rate constants, CO inhibition, and the activation parameters, a mechanism involving dissociative CO loss as the rate-limiting step is proposed. The solid-state structure of CoRu(CO)4(μ -bma)(μ -PPh2) (3) reveals that the two PPh2 groups are bound to the ruthenium center while the maleic anhydride π bond is coordinated to the cobalt atom. Thermolysis of the cluster Ru3(CO)12 with the bis(phosphine)hydrazine ligand (MeO)2PN(Me)N(Me)P(OMe)2 (dmpdmh) in toluene at 75°C furnishes the known clusters Ru4(CO)12[μ -N(Me)N(Me)] (9) and Ru3(CO)11[P(OMe)3] (10), in addition to the new cluster Ru3(CO)10(dmpdmh) (8) and the phosphite-tethered cluster Ru3(CO)9[μ -P(OMe)3] (11). The simple substitution product Ru3(CO)10(dmpdmh), a logical intermediate to clusters 9-11, was synthesized by treating Ru3(CO)12 and dmpdmh with Me3NO in CH2Cl2 at room temperature, and independent thermolysis reactions using cluster 8 were shown to yield clusters 9-11. The tetrahedrane cluster FeCo2(CO)9(μ3-S) reacts with the redox-active ligand 4,5-bis(diphenylphosphino)-4-cyclopenten-1,3-dione (bpcd) to give the disubstituted cluster FeCo2(CO)7(bpcd)(μ3-S) as the sole product. This diphosphine-substituted cluster contains a cobalt-bound, chelating bpcd ligand. The solid-state structure has been unequivocally established by X-ray diffraction analysis. Cyclic voltammetric studies on FeCo2(CO)7(bpcd)(μ3-S) reveal the presence of two quasireversible redox responses assigned to the 0/1- and 1-/2- redox couples. The orbital composition of these redox couples has been examined by carrying out extended Hückel MO calculations on the model complex FeCo2(CO)7(H4-bpcd)(μ3-S), with the results being compared to related cluster compounds.

Quinoxaline-functionalized, cage-annulated oxa- and thiacrown ethers have been synthesized as possible specific metal host systems. The synthesis and characterization of quinoxaline-functionalized, cage-annulated oxa- and thiacrown ethers have been described. The characterization of these host systems have been fully achieved in solution by using various techniques such as IR, 1H NMR, and 13C NMR spectroscopic methods, high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), elemental microanalysis, and X-ray crystallographic analysis in case of one quinoxaline-functionalized, cage-annulated oxacrown ether compound. The synthesis of the diphosphine ligand 2,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)-N-p-tolylmaleimide (bmi) is described. The substitution of the MeCN ligands in the activated cluster 1,2-Os3(CO)10(MeCN)2 by the diphosphine ligand bmi proceeds rapidly at room temperature to furnish a mixture of bridging and chelating Os3(CO)10(bmi) isomers and the ortho-metalated product HOs3(CO)9[μ-(PPh2)C=C{PPh(C6H4)}C(O)N(tolyl-p)C(O)]. Thermolysis of the bridging isomer 1,2-Os3(CO)10(bmi) under mild conditions gives the chelating isomer 1,1-Os3(CO)10(bmi), whose molecular structure has been determined by X-ray crystallography. The kinetics for the ligand isomerization have been investigated by UV-vis and 1H NMR spectroscopy in toluene solution over the temperature range of 318-348 K. On the basis of kinetic data conducted in the presence of added CO and the Eyring activation parameters, a non-dissociative phosphine migration across one of the Os-Os bonds is proposed. Orthometalation of one of the phenyl groups associated with the bmi ligand is triggered by near-UV photolysis of the chelating cluster 1,1- Os3(CO)10(bmi).

Syntheses of diphosphine gold (I) complexes from gold THT and two ligands, 4, 5-bis (diphenylphosphino)-4-cyclopenten-1, 3-dione (BPCD) and 2,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)-N-phenylmaleimide (BPPM), were done separately. The reactions happened under ice conditions followed by room temperature conditions and produced two diphosphine gold (I) complexes in moderated yield. Spectroscopic results including nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and X-ray crystallography were used to study and determine the structures of the products formed. Moreover, X-rays of all newly synthesized diphosphine gold (I) complexes were compared with the known X-ray structures of other phosphine and diphosphine gold (I) complexes. There were direct resemblances in terms of bond length and angle between these new diphosphine gold (I) complex structures and those already published. For instance, the bond lengths and angles from the newly prepared diphosphine gold (I) complexes were similar to those already published. Where there were some deviations in bond angles and length between the newly synthesized structures and those already published, appropriate explanation was given to explain the deviation. Heterocyclic ligands bearing acetylacetonate (ACAC) side arm(s) were prepared from ethyl malonyl chloride and the heterocyclic compounds 8-hydroxylquinoline, Syn-2-peridoxyaldoxime, quinoxalinol and 2, 6-dipyridinylmethanol. The products (heterocyclic ACAC ligands) from these reactions were screened with transition metal carbonyl compounds in thermolytic reactions. The complexes formed were studied and investigated using NMR and X-ray crystallography. Furthermore, the X-ray structures of the heterocyclic ACAC ligand or ligand A and that of rhenium complex 1 were compared with similar published X-ray structures. The comparison showed there were some similarities in terms of bond length and bond angles.

The bite angle of a diphosphine ligand plays an important role in determining the reactivity of a transition metal complex. The coordinated dihydrogen on a transition metal center can be activated toward homolysis or heterolysis depending upon the nature of the metal center and the ancillary ligand environment. The present work deals with our investigations on the effect of the bite angle of the chelating diphosphine ligands in the chemistry of certain ruthenium hydride and dihydrogen complexes. Protonation of the ds-[Ru(H)2(dppm)(PPh3)2] (dppm = Ph2PCH2PPh2) using HBF4-Et2O resulted in the dihydrogen/hydride complex trans-(Formula). This species shows dynamic exchange of the H-atom between the dihydrogen and the hydride ligands. The H-atom site exchange was studied by NMR spectroscopy. Attempts to prepare the ruthenium dihydride complexes, cis-[Ru(H)2(dppe)(PPh3)2] (dppe = Ph2PCH2CH2PPh2) and cw-[Ru(H)2(dppp)(PPh3)2] (dppp = Ph2PCH2CH2CH2PPh2) with larger bite-angled diphosphines dppe and dppp were unsuccessful. Earlier work in our group on the effect of trans nitrile ligands in a series of complexes of the type (Formula)howed that the properties of the bound H2 are almost invariant with a change in the R group of the nitrile. hi an effort to compare those results with analogous ruthenium complexes bearing smaller bite-angled diphosphine, dppm, we synthesized and characterized a series of complexes of the type (Formula). We found that the properties of the bound H2 were once again invariant with a change in the R group of the nitrile. In an effort to compare the effect of having two diphosphine ligands of different bite angles with systems containing symmetrical diphosphine ligands reported by our group,3 we synthesized a series of complexes of the type (Formula). These complexes exhibit hybrid properties in comparison to systems with symmetrical diphosphine ligands in terms of spectroscopic features and chemical reactivity. Thus, the bite angle of the diphosphine ligand has a definite influence on the properties of the bound H2 ligand.