REACTION OF [(CUCL(BU2TPH))(4)] WITH [RU-3(CO)(12)] - X-RAY CRYSTAL-STRUCTURES OF THE CHLORIDE TRANSFER PRODUCTS [RU-3(CO)(7)(MU-H)(MU-PBU2T)(2)(MU-CL)] AND THE ELECTRON-RICH 50-ELECTRON CLUSTER [RU-3(CO)(6)(MU-PBU2T)(MU-CL)(3)(BU2TPH)]

Treatment of CuCl with (Bu2PH)-P-t in hexane afforded a colourless cry stalline material which was characterized as [{CuCl((Bu2PH)-P-t)}(4)] (1) by an X-ray diffraction study. The reaction of 1 with [Ru-3(CO)(12 )] in refluxing toluene leads to a mixture of products containing the electron-rich chloro-bridged cluster [Ru-3(CO)(6)(mu-PBu2t)(mu-Cl)(3)( (Bu2PH)-P-t)] (2) besides the electron-precise complexes [Ru-3(CO)(7)( mu-H) (mu-PBu2t)(2)(mu-Cl)] (3) and [Ru-3(CO)(8)(mu-H)(2)(mu(3)-PBut)( (Bu2PH)-P-t)] (4), respectively. No cluster expansion products were ob served, therefore, the copper complex acts merely as phosphine and chl oride transfer reagent. The molecular structures of the metal clusters 2 and 3 were determined by means of single-crystal X-ray structure an alyses. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.