REACTIONS OF DINUCLEAR AND POLYNUCLEAR COMPLEXES .12. SYNTHESIS AND THERMAL-DECOMPOSITION REACTIONS OF TETRANUCLEAR CLUSTERS [CO4CP2(CO)5-NLN(RC2R')] (L=PPH2H N=0, 1 OR 2) (R=R'=CF3, C6F5, C6H5 OR ME R=H, R'=CF3)
P. Quenech et al., REACTIONS OF DINUCLEAR AND POLYNUCLEAR COMPLEXES .12. SYNTHESIS AND THERMAL-DECOMPOSITION REACTIONS OF TETRANUCLEAR CLUSTERS [CO4CP2(CO)5-NLN(RC2R')] (L=PPH2H N=0, 1 OR 2) (R=R'=CF3, C6F5, C6H5 OR ME R=H, R'=CF3), Journal of organometallic chemistry, 479(1-2), 1994, pp. 93-102
The dinuclear complexes [(CO)3Co(mu-RC2R')Co(CO)3] (R = R' = CF3, C6F5
, C6H5 or Me; R = H, R' = CF3) react with [CpCo(CO)2] in refluxing oct
ane to afford tetranuclear complexes [Co4Cp2(CO)4(mu-CO)(mu-RC2R')] (2
) in good yield; these tetracobalt clusters have been characterised by
spectroscopic methods. Thermolysis of [Co4CP2(CO)5(RC2R')] (2) and of
the related substituted complexes [Co4CP2(CO)4-n(mu-CO)(PPh2H)n(CF3C2
CF3)] results mainly in the loss of carbonyl and the formation of trin
uclear clusters [Co3Cp3(mu3-CO)(mu3-eta2-RC2R')] (3) and [Co3Cp2(CO)2(
mu-PPh2)(mu3-eta2-CF3C2CF3)] (7), respectively. The conversion of clus
ters 3 and 7 into dialkylidyne complexes has been examined. The spectr
oscopic data for the new complexes are discussed and mechanisms propos
ed to account for their formation.