THE SYNTHESIS OF THE FIRST EXAMPLES OF WATER-SOLUBLE 7-CO-ORDINATE COMPLEXES OF TUNGSTEN(II)

Reaction of the seven-co-ordinate complex [WI2(CO)(3)(NCMe)(2)] with t wo equivalents of 4-HO2CC5H4N in methanol at room temperature gave the bis(pyridine-4-carboxylic acid) complex [WI2(CO)(3)(4-HO2CC5H4N)(2)] 1 in good yield, which, upon treatment with two equivalents of NaOH in ethanol, afforded the completely water-soluble complex [WI2(CO)(3)(4- NaO2CC5H4N)(2)] 2 in good yield; reaction of the latter with an equimo lar amount of 3-NaO3SC5H4N yielded [WI2(CO)(3)(4-NaO2CC5H4N)(3-NaO3SC5 H4N)]. which represents the first room-temperature ligand-substitution reaction in water of a metal carbonyl complex.