Reactivity study of the P-2 ligand complex [{CpCr(CO)(2)}(2)(mu,eta(2)-P-2)]

The complex [{CpCr(CO)(2)}(2)(mu-eta (2)-P-2)] has shown highly contrasting reactivity behavior towards ECl3 (E = P, As, Sb) and LiBEt3H. The reaction with ECl3 has yielded the first example of cyclo-P2E ligand complexes, [Cp (CO)(2)Cr(eta (3)-P2E)]. On the other hand, the reaction with LiBEt3H led t o P-P bond cleavage and formation of novel PH, containing complexes [Cp-2(C O)(4)Cr-2(mu -PH2)(mu -H)], and [Cp-2(CO)(4)Cr-2(mu -PH2)(2)] and the compl ex [([CpCr(CO)(2)](2)(mu -PH))[(CpCr)(2)(mu.eta (1):eta (1):eta (5):eta (5) -P-5)}}. The reaction of [Cp-2(CO)(4)Cr-2(mu -PH2)(mu -H)] with [AuCl(PPh3) ] led to the formation of high nuclearity cluster [{CpCr(CO)(2) }(6)(mu (4) -P)(3)(mu (4)-Au)(3)] which is the first example of a planar Au/P cluster.