GENERAL-SYNTHESIS OF FERROCENYLPHOSPHINE-BRIDGED DIGOLD CARBOXYLATO COMPLEXES - CRYSTAL AND MOLECULAR-STRUCTURE OF AU-2(ETA(1)-CF3CO2)(2)(MU-DPPF)CENTER-DOT-C6H14 (DPPF=FE(C5H4PPH2)(2))

Metathesis of Au2Cl2(mu-dppf) with Ag(RCO2) (R = CH3, CF3, C2H5 and C6 H5) gives Au-2(eta(1)-RCO2)(2)(mu-dppf) in 75-97% yields. Spectroscopi c data are consistent with a common structure containing a ferrocenyl diphosphine bridging two moieties of Au(I) bearing carboxylates in a u nidentate coordination mode. Similar reaction of Au2Cl2(mu-dppm) with Ag(CF3CO2) gives Au-2(eta(1)-CF3CO2)(2)(mu-dppm)Au2(eta 1-CF3CO2)2(mu- dppm) in 52% yield. X-ray single-crystal crystallographic diffraction analysis of Au-2(eta(1)-CF3CO2)(2)(mu-dppf).C6H14 shows that in the ce ntrosymmetric dinuclear molecule, the Au(I) geometry is approximately linear(measured angle O-Au-P177.1(1)degrees) and the trifluoroacetate ligand is unidentate (C(18)-0(1) 1.267(4)Angstrom and C(18)-0(2/2a) 1. 212(4)Angstrom). An intermolecular Au...Au interaction of 3.254(1)Angs trom links the molecules into an infinite zigzag chain running paralle l to the c axis. Crystal data: Au-2(eta(1)-CF3CO2)(2)(mu dppf).C6H14, space group C2/c (No. 15), a = 15.325(3), b = 19.058(4), c = 15.373(3) Angstrom, P = 95.98(3)Angstrom, final R = 5.66% for 3784 observed refl ections. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.