CHEMISTRY OF HYDROGEN ISOCYANIDE .12. REACTIONS OF CYANO-IRON AND CYANO-RUTHENIUM COMPOUNDS WITH GEM-DICYANO-EPOXIDES - A NEW PATHWAY TO VINYL ISOCYANIDE COMPLEXES OF IRON AND RUTHENIUM

The cyano complexes [M(CN)(cp)(dppe)] (M = Fe or Ru, cp = eta-C5H5, dp pe = Ph(2)PCH(2)CH(2)PPh(2)) and the hydrogen isocyanide complex [Fe(c p)(dppe)(CNH)]Br reacted with gem-dicyano and gem-cyano(ethoxycarbonyl ) epoxides to give oxazol-2-yl and oxazolin-2-ylidene complexes, respe ctively. Treatment of the oxazol-2-yl complexes with alkyloxonium salt s, R(3)O(+)BF(4)(-) (R = Me or Et), resulted in ring opening to give m ultifunctional vinyl isocyanide complexes. The complexes were characte rized by mass and NMR spectral techniques; in addition, a single-cryst al structure determination was carried out on a vinyl isocyanide compl ex.