Syntheses and molecular structures of heterometallic carbonyl clusters derived from the triruthenium carbonyl methoxynitrido cluster; crystal and molecular structures of [Ru2Mo(mu-H)(CO)(8)(eta(5)-C5H5)(mu(3)-NOMe)], [Ru2Mo(mu-H)(CO)(8)(eta(5)-C5H5)(mu(3)-NH)] and [Ru-3(CO)(10)(mu-NH2)(mu(3)-Hg){Mo(eta(5)-C5H5)(CO)(3)}]

Reaction of [Ru-3(CO)(9)(mu(3)-CO)(mu(3)-NOMe)] 1 with stoichiometric amoun ts of the hydride complex [(eta(5)-C5H5)Mo(CO)(3)H] in THF at room temperat ure (r.t.) for 3 days affords the isolation of two new heterometallic trinu clear clusters namely [Ru2Mo(mu-H)(CO)(8)(eta(5)-C5H5)(mu(3)-NOMe)] 2 and [ Ru2Mo(mu-H)(CO)(8)(eta(5)-C5H5)(mu(3)-NH)] 3 which both consist of a triang ular Ru2Mo core capped by a NR fragment (2: R = OMe; 3: R = H). However, th e reaction of 1 with the organomercurial derivative [{(eta(5)-C5H5)Mo(CO)(3 )}(2)Hg] resulted in the formation of a pentanuclear complex [Ru-3(CO)(10)( mu-NH2)(mu(3)-Hg){Mo(eta(5)-C5H5)(CO)(3)}] 4 in which a (eta(5)-C5H5)Mo(CO) (3)Hg fragment bridges the Ru-3 core on the opposite side of the amido grou p. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.