Metal carbonyl clusters of groups 8-10: synthesis and catalysis

In this review article, we discuss advances in the chemistry of metal carbonyl clusters (MCCs) spanning the last three decades, with an emphasis on the more recent reports and those involving groups 8-10 elements. Synthetic methods have advanced and been refined, leading to higher-nuclearity clusters and a wider array of structures and nuclearities. Our understanding of the electronic structure in MCCs has advanced to a point where molecular chemistry tools and other advanced tools can probe their properties at a level of detail that surpasses that possible with other nanomaterials and solid-state materials. MCCs therefore advance our understanding of structure-property-reactivity correlations in other higher-nuclearity materials. With respect to catalysis, this article focuses only on homogeneous applications, but it includes both thermally and electrochemically driven catalysis. Applications in thermally driven catalysis have found success where the reaction conditions stabilise the compounds toward loss of CO. In more recent years, MCCs, which exhibit delocalised bonding and possess many electron-withdrawing CO ligands, have emerged as very stable and effective for reductive electrocatalysis reactions since reduction often strengthens M-C(O) bonds and since room-temperature reaction conditions are sufficient for driving the electrocatalysis.

An Icosidodecahedral Supramolecule Based on Pentaphosphaferrocene: From a Disordered Average Structure to Individual Isomers

Pentaphosphaferrocenes [CpR Fe(η5 -P5 )] (1) and CuI halides are excellent building blocks for the formation of discrete supramolecules. Herein, we demonstrate the potential of Cu(CF3 SO3 ) for the construction of the novel 2D polymer [{Cp*Fe(μ4 ,η5:1:1:1 -P5 )}{Cu(CF3 SO3 )}]n (2) and the unprecedented nanosphere (CH2 Cl2 )1.4 @[{CpBn Fe(η5 -P5 )}12 {Cu(CF3 SO3 )}19.6 ] (3). The supramolecule 3 has a unique scaffold beyond the fullerene topology, with 20 copper atoms statistically distributed over the 30 vertices of an icosidodecahedron. Combinatorics was used to interpret the average disordered structure of the supramolecules. In this case, only two pairs of enantiomers with D5 and D2 symmetry are possible for bidentate bridging coordination of the triflate ligands. DFT calculations showed that differences in the energies of the isomers are negligible. The benzyl ligands enhance the solubility of 3, enabling NMR-spectroscopic and mass-spectrometric investigations.

Structural rearrangements induced by acid-base reactions in metal carbonyl clusters: the case of [H(3-n)Co15Pd9C3(CO)38]n- (n = 0-3)

The new bimetallic [HCo15Pd9C3(CO)38](2-) tri-carbide carbonyl cluster has been obtained from the reaction of [H2Co20Pd16C4(CO)48](4-) with an excess of acid in CH2Cl2 solution. The mono-hydride di-anion can be reversibly protonated and deprotonated by means of acid-base reactions leading to closely related [H(3-n)Co15Pd9C3(CO)38](n-) (n = 0-3) clusters. The crystal structures of the three anionic and the neutral clusters have been determined as their H3Co15Pd9C3(CO)38·2thf, [NEt4][H2Co15Pd9C3(CO)38]·0.5C6H14, [NMe3(CH2Ph)]2[HCo15Pd9C3(CO)38]·C6H14 and [NEt4]3[Co15Pd9C3(CO)38]·thf salts. They are composed of a Pd9(μ3-CO)2 core stabilised by three Co5C(CO)12 organometallic fragments. The poly-hydride nature of these clusters has been indirectly inferred via chemical, electrochemical and magnetic measurements. Besides, cyclic voltammetry shows that the [H(3-n)Co15Pd9C3(CO)38](n-) (n = 1-3) anions are multivalent, since they undergo two or three reversible oxidations. SQUID measurements of [HCo15Pd9C3(CO)38](2-) indicate that this even electron cluster is paramagnetic with two unpaired electrons, giving further support to its hydride nature. Finally, structural studies show that the Pd9 core of [H(3-n)Co15Pd9C3(CO)38](n-) (n = 0,1) is a tri-capped octahedron, which becomes a tri-capped trigonal prism in the more charged [H(3-n)Co15Pd9C3(CO)38](n-) (n = 2,3) anions. Such a significant structural rearrangement of the metal core of a large carbonyl cluster upon protonation-deprotonation reactions is unprecedented in cluster chemistry, and suggests that interstitial hydrides may have relevant stereochemical effects even in large carbonyl clusters.

Selective synthesis of the [Ni36Co8C8(CO)48]6- octa-carbide carbonyl cluster by thermal decomposition of the [H2Ni22Co6C6(CO)36]4- hexa-carbide

The thermal decomposition in thf solution of [H2Ni22Co6C6(CO)36](4-) results in the new [HNi36Co8C8(CO)48](5-) bimetallic Ni-Co octa-carbide, which can be converted into the closely related [H6-nNi36Co8C8(CO)48](n-) (n = 3-6) polyhydrides by means of acid-base reactions. The structure of the [Ni36Co8C8(CO)48](6-) hexa-anion has been established via X-ray crystallography, showing that the eight interstitial carbide atoms are lodged within different metal cages. Thus, two C-atoms are enclosed within regular square anti-prismatic Ni8C cages, four within irregular Ni8C square anti-prismatic cages, and the last two within mono-capped trigonal prismatic Ni5Co2C cages. The structure of [Ni36Co8C8(CO)48](6-) is non-compact and closely related to [Ni32C6(CO)38](6-) and [HNi38C6(CO)44](5-). [Ni36Co8C8(CO)48](6-) approaches the nanosize regime and the whole molecular ion has a diameter (measured from the outer oxygen atoms) of ca. 1.61 nm.

Nickel poly-acetylide carbonyl clusters: structural features, bonding and electrochemical behaviour

The reactions of [NEt(4)](2)[Ni(6)(CO)(12)] with miscellaneous carbon halides (e.g. CCl(4), C(4)Cl(6)) in CH(2)Cl(2) have been extensively investigated particularly focusing on the stoichiometric ratio of the reagents and reaction temperature. This allowed the preparation of the previously known acetylide clusters [Ni(16)(C(2))(2)(CO)(23)](4-), [HNi(25)(C(2))(4)(CO)(32)](3-) and [Ni(22)(C(2))(4)(CO)(28)Cl](3-), as well as isolation and full characterisation of the closely related [Ni(17)(C(2))(2)(CO)(24)](4-) and [Ni(25)(C(2))(4)(CO)(32)](4-) tetraanions. From a structural point of view, all these clusters are based on a Ni(16) square orthobicupola which contain interstitial C(2), Ni(η(2)-C(2))(4) or Ni(2)(μ-η(2)-C(2))(4) moieties, displaying rather short C-C bonds. Electrochemical studies reveal that all these species undergo different redox processes, even if their stability is rather limited. This is corroborated by an extensive analysis of the interaction between interstitial C(2) acetylide units and the metal cluster cage by Extended Huckel Molecular Orbital (EHMO) calculations, which indicates that tightly bonded C-C units are less effective than isolated C-atoms in stabilising the cluster cage.