Novel behaviour and reactivity in 1,1′-bis(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene and 1,1′-bis(diphenylphosphino)cobaltocene cluster derivatives

Synthetic, Electrochemical, and Theoretical Studies of Tetrairidium Clusters Bearing Mono- and Bis[60]fullerene Ligands

Heating a mixture of Ir(4)(CO)(9)(PPh(3))(3) (1) and 2 equiv of C(60) in refluxing chlorobenzene (CB) affords a "butterfly" tetrairidium-C(60) complex Ir(4)(CO)(6){mu(3)-kappa(3)-PPh(2)(o-C(6)H(4))P(o-C(6)H(4))PPh(eta(1)-o-C(6)H(4))}(mu(3)-eta(2):eta(2):eta(2)-C(60)) (3, 36%). Brief thermolysis of 1 in refluxing chlorobenzene (CB) gives a "butterfly" complex Ir(4)(CO)(8){mu-k(2)-PPh(2)(o-C(6)H(4))PPh}{mu(3)-PPh(2)(eta(1):eta(2)-o-C(6)H(4))} (2, 64%) that is both ortho-phosphorylated and ortho-metalated. Interestingly, reaction of 2 with 2 equiv of C(60) in refluxing CB produces 3 (41%) by C(60)-assisted ortho-phosphorylation, indicating that 2 is the reaction intermediate for the final product 3. On the other hand, reaction of Ir(4)(CO)(8)(PMe(3))(4) (4) with excess (4 equiv) C(60) in refluxing 1,2-dichlorobenzene, followed by treatment with CNCH(2)Ph at 70 degrees C, affords a square-planar complex with two C(60) ligands and a face-capping methylidyne ligand, Ir(4)(CO)(3)(mu(4)-CH)(PMe(3))(2)(mu-PMe(2))(CNCH(2)Ph)(mu-eta(2):eta(2)-C(60))(mu(4)-eta(1):eta(1):eta(2):eta(2)-C(60)) (5, 13%) as the major product. Compounds 2, 3, and 5 have been characterized by spectroscopic and microanalytical methods, as well as by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. Cyclic voltammetry has been used to examine the electrochemical properties of 2, 3, 5, and a related known "butterfly" complex Ir(4)(CO)(6)(mu-CO){mu(3)-k(2)-PPh(2)(o-C(6)H(4))P(eta(1)-o-C(6)H(4))}(mu(3)-eta(2):eta(2):eta(2)-C(60)) (6). These cyclic voltammetry data suggest that a C(60)-mediated electron transfer to the iridium cluster center takes place for the species 3(3)(-) and 6(2)(-) in compounds 3 and 6. The cyclic voltammogram of 5 exhibits six well-separated reversible, one-electron redox waves due to the strong electronic communication between two C(60) cages through a tetrairidium metal cluster spacer. The electrochemical properties of 3, 5, and 6 have been rationalized by molecular orbital calculations using density functional theory and by charge distribution studies employing the Mulliken and Hirshfeld population analyses.

Strong Interfullerene Electronic Communication in a Bisfullerene−Hexarhodium Sandwich Complex

Reaction of Rh(6)(CO)(12)(dppm)(2) (dppm = 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)methane) with 1.4 equiv. of C(60) in chlorobenzene at 120 degrees C affords a face-capping C(60) derivative Rh(6)(CO)(9)(dppm)(2)(micro(3)-eta(2),eta(2),eta(2)-C(60)) (1) in 73% yield. Treatment of 1 with excess CNR (10 equiv., R = CH(2)C(6)H(5)) at 80 degrees C provides a bisbenzylisocyanide-substituted compound Rh(6)(CO)(7)(dppm)(2)(CNR)(2)(micro(3)-eta(2),eta(2),eta(2)-C(60)) (2) in 59% yield. Reaction of 1 with excess C(60) (4 equiv.) in refluxing chlorobenzene followed by treatment with 1 equiv. of CNR at room temperature gives a bisfullerene sandwich complex Rh(6)(CO)(5)(dppm)(2)(CNR)(micro(3)-eta(2),eta(2),eta(2)-C(60))(2) (3) in 31% yield. Compounds 1, 2, and 3 have been characterized by spectroscopic and microanalytical methods as well as by X-ray crystallographic studies. Electrochemical properties of 1, 2, and 3 have been examined by cyclic voltammetry. The cyclic voltammograms (CVs) of 1 and 2 show two reversible one-electron redox waves, a reversible one-step two-electron redox wave, and a reversible one-electron redox wave, respectively, within the solvent cutoff window. This observation suggests that compounds 1 and 2 undergo similar C(60)-localized electrochemical pathways up to 1(5)(-) and 2(5)(-). Each redox wave of 2 appears at more negative potentials compared to that of 1 because of the donor effect of the benzylisocyanide ligand. The CV of compound 3 reveals six reversible well-separated redox waves due to strong interfullerene electronic communication via the Rh(6) metal cluster bridge. The electrochemical properties of 1, 2, and 3 have been rationalized by molecular orbital calculations using the density functional theory (DFT) method. In particular, the molecular orbital (MO) calculation reveals significant contribution of the metal cluster center to the unoccupied molecular orbitals in 3, which is consistent with the experimental result of strong interfullerene electronic communication via the Rh(6) metal cluster spacer.