THE UNEXPECTED SYNTHESIS OF A TRICOBALT CLUSTER WITH FERROCENYL GROUPS - CRYSTAL-STRUCTURE AND CYCLIC VOLTAMMETRY OF CO-3(CO)(7)(MU(3)-PFC)(MU(2)-PFC(2)) (FC = (C5H5)FE(C5H4))

FcPCl(2) is reacted with NaCo(CO)(4) in THF at room temperature. Cryst allization from CH2Cl2-hexane affords dark-green diamagnetic rhombi in low yield. Single crystal X-ray analysis has shown that the structure is [Co-3(CO)(7)(mu(3)-PFc)(mu(2)-PFc(2))] (1). Cyclic voltammetry has shown that three iron atoms in 1 are oxidized at the same potential, but it exhibits two reversible reduction peaks. (C) 1997 Elsevier Scie nce S.A.