Zwitterionic Ammoniumalkenyl Ligands in Metal Cluster Complexes. Synthesis, Structures, and Transformations of Zwitterionic Trimethylammoniumalkenyl Ligands in Hexaruthenium Carbido Carbonyl Complexes

Highly Reduced Ruthenium Carbide Carbonyl Clusters: Synthesis, Molecular Structure, Reactivity, Electrochemistry, and Computational Investigation of [Ru6C(CO)15]4

The reaction of [Ru6C(CO)16]2- (1) with NaOH in DMSO resulted in the formation of a highly reduced [Ru6C(CO)15]4- (2), which was readily protonated by acids, such as HBF4·Et2O, to [HRu6C(CO)15]3- (3). Oxidation of 2 with [Cp2Fe][PF6] or [C7H7][BF4] in CH3CN resulted in [Ru6C(CO)15(CH3CN)]2- (5), which was quantitatively converted into 1 after exposure to CO atmosphere. The reaction of 2 with a mild methylating agent such as CH3,I afforded the purported [Ru6C(CO)14(COCH3)]3- (6). By employing a stronger reagent, that is, CF3SO3CH3, a mixture of [HRu6C(CO)16]- (4), [H3Ru6C(CO)15]- (7), and [Ru6C(CO)15(CH3CNCH3)]- (8) was obtained. The molecular structures of 2-5, 7, and 8 were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction as their [NEt4]4[2]·CH3CN, [NEt4]3[3], [NEt4][4], [NEt4]2[5], [NEt4][7], and [NEt4][8]·solv salts. The carbyne-carbide cluster 6 was partially characterized by IR spectroscopy and ESI-MS, and its structure was computationally predicted using DFT methods. The redox behavior of 2 and 3 was investigated by electrochemical and IR spectroelectrochemical methods. Computational studies were performed in order to unravel structural and thermodynamic aspects of these octahedral Ru-carbide carbonyl clusters displaying miscellaneous ligands and charges in comparison with related iron derivatives.

Synthesis and Chemistry of Ammonioethenyl and Phosphonioethenyl Ligands in Zwitterionic Dirhenium Carbonyl Complexes

New zwitterionic dirhenium carbonyl complexes containing ammonioethenyl and phosphonioethenyl ligands have been synthesized and studied. The reaction of Re₂(CO)₁₀ with C₂H₂ and Me₃NO yielded the dirhenium complex Re₂(CO)₉(NMe₃) (6) and the new zwitterionic complex Re₂(CO)₉[η¹-E-2-CH═CH(NMe₃)] (7). Compound 6 was characterized structurally and was found to have a NMe₃ ligand in an equatorial coordination site cis to a long Re-Re single bond, Re-Re = 3.0938(2) Å. Compound 7 can be obtained from the reaction of 6 with ethyne (C₂H₂) formally by the insertion of ethyne into the Re-N bond to the NMe₃ ligand. Compound 7 contains a 2-trimethylammonioethenyl ligand, ^-CH═CH(⁺NMe₃), that is formally a zwitterion having a positive charge on the nitrogen atom and a negative charge on the terminal carbon atom. When coordinated to rhenium by the terminal ethenyl carbon atom, the negative charge on the ^-CH═CH(⁺NMe₃) carbon atom is formally transferred to the rhenium atom. The reaction of Re₂(CO)₁₀ with C₂H₂ and NEt₃ in the presence of Me₃NO yielded the new dirhenium complex Re₂(CO)₉[η¹-E-2-CH═CH(NEt₃)] (8) together with some 6 and 7. Compound 8 is structurally similar to 7, but it contains a NEt₃ group in the ammonioethenyl ligand in the place of the NMe₃ group in 7. Reactions of 7 with PMePh₂ and PPh₃ yielded the zwitterionic 2-arylphosphonioethenyl-coordinated dirhenium carbonyl complexes, Re₂(CO)₉[η¹-E-2-CH═CH(PPh₂Me)] (9a) and Re₂(CO)₉[η¹-E-2-CH═CH(PPh₃)] (9b), and the zwitterionic 1-phosphonioethenyl ligand in the dirhenium carbonyl complexes, Re₂(CO)₉[η¹-1-C(PPh₂Me)(═CH₂)] (10a), Re₂(CO)₈[μ-η²-1-C(PPh₂Me)(═CH₂)] (11a), and Re₂(CO)₈[[μ-η²-1-C(PPh₃)(CH₂)] (11b). Compound 10a was converted to 11a and the new compound Re₂(CO)₇(μ-H)[μ-η²-1-(CH₂C)P(Ph)(Me)(o-C₆H₄)], (12) by decarbonylation using Me₃NO. Compound 12 contains an ortho-metalated phenyl ring. The new products 6,7, 8, 9b, 10a, 11a, 11b and 12 were characterized structurally by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses.

Direct Access to Palladium(II) Complexes Based on Anionic C,C,C-Phosphonium Ylide Core Pincer Ligand

The reaction of readily available imidazolium-phosphonium salt [MesIm(CH₂)₃PPh₃](OTf)₂ with PdCl₂ in the presence of an excess of Cs₂CO₃ afforded selectively in one step the cationic Pd(II) complex [(C,C,C)Pd(NCMe)](OTf) exhibiting an LX₂-type NHC-ylide-aryl C,C,C-pincer ligand via formal triple C-H bond activation. The replacement of labile MeCN in the latter by CNtBu and CO fragments allowed to estimate the overall electronic properties of this phosphonium ylide core pincer scaffold incorporating three different carbon-based donor ends by IR spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and molecular orbital analysis, revealing its significantly higher electron-rich character compared to the structurally close NHC core pincer system with two phosphonium ylide extremities. The pincer complex [(C,C,C)Pd(CO)](OTf) represents a rare example of Pd(II) carbonyl species stable at room temperature and characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis. The treatment of isostructural cationic complexes [(C,C,C)Pd(NCMe)](OTf) and [(C,C,C)Pd(CO)](OTf) with (allyl)MgBr and nBuLi led to the formation of zwitterionic phosphonium organopalladates [(C,C,C)PdBr] and [(C,C,C)Pd(COnBu)], respectively.

Synthesis, Structures, and Transformations of Bridging and Terminally-Coordinated Trimethylammonioalkenyl Ligands in Zwitterionic Pentaruthenium Carbido Carbonyl Complexes

Reactions of the pentaruthenium cluster complexes Ru₅(μ₅-C)(CO)₁₅ (5), Ru₅(μ₅-C)(CO)₁₄[μ-η²-O═C(NMe₂)](μ-H) (6), and Ru₅(μ₅-C)(CO)₁₅Cl(μ-H) (7) with ethyne (C₂H₂) in the presence of Me₃NO yielded the zwitterionic complexes Ru₅(μ₅-C)(CO)₁₃[μ-η²-CHCH(NMe₃)] (8), Ru₅(μ₅-C)(CO)₁₃[μ-η²-O═C(NMe₂)](η¹-E-CH═CH(NMe₃)(μ-H) (9), and Ru₅(μ₅-C)(CO)₁₃Cl[η¹-E-CH═CH(NMe₃)](μ-H) (11). Each product contains a positively charged trimethylammonioethenyl ligand, CH═CH(⁺NMe₃), that is derived from a 2-trimethylammonioethenide, ^-CH═CH(⁺NMe₃), zwitterion that formally has a positive charge on the nitrogen atom and a negative charge on the terminal enyl carbon atom. The trimethylammonioethenyl ligand, CH═CH(⁺NMe₃) in 8 is a η²-ligand that bridges a Ru-Ru bond on a basal edge of the square-pyramidal Ru₅ cluster by a combination of σ + π cooordination of the ethenyl group. Compounds 9 and 11 each contain a η¹-terminally coordinated [η¹-E-CH═CH(⁺NMe₃)] ligand with an E stereochemistry at the C═C double bond in open Ru₅ cluster complexes. Compound 9 was decarbonylated to yield the compound Ru₅(μ₅-C)(CO)₁₂[μ-η²-O═C(NMe₂)][μ-η²-CH═CH(NMe₃)](μ-H) (10) containing a η²-bridging CHCH(⁺NMe₃) ligand. Compound 10 was converted back to 9 by the addition of CO. Two zwitterionic products, Ru₅(μ₅-C)(CO)₁₄[η¹-E-CH═CH(NMe₃)] (12) and Ru₅(μ₅-C)(CO)₁₅[η¹-E-CH═CH(NMe₃)] (13), were obtained by the addition of CO to 8. Compound 12 is an intermediate en route to 13. Compound 12 contains a terminally coordinated η¹-E-CH═CH(⁺NMe₃) ligand on one of the basal Ru atoms of a square-pyramidal Ru₅ cluster. Compound 13 also contains a terminally coordinated η¹-E-CH═CH(⁺NMe₃) ligand on the wing-tip bridging Ru atom of a butterfly Ru₄C cluster. Treatment of 6 with methyl propiolate (HC≡CCO₂Me) yielded the zwitterionic complex Ru₅(μ₅-C)(CO)₁₃[μ-η²-O═C(NMe₂)][η¹-E-(MeO₂C)C═C(H)NMe₃](μ-H) (14) that is structurally similar to 9 but contains a η¹-E-(MeO₂C)C═C(H)(⁺NMe₃) ligand. Compound 14 eliminated the NMe₃ group to yield the compounds Ru₅(μ₅-C)(CO)₁₃[μ-η²-O═C(NMe₂)][μ-η²-(MeO₂C)HC═CH] (15) which contains a bridging methoxycarbonyl-substituted alkenyl ligand and the known compound Ru₅(μ₅-C)(CO)₁₃[μ-η²-O═C(NMe₂)](HNMe₂)(μ-H) (16).