Reactivity of the Phosphinidene-Bridged Complexes [Mo2Cp(μ-κ1:κ1,η5-PC5H4)(η6-1,3,5-C6H3tBu3)(CO)2] and [Mo2Cp2(μ-PH)(η6-1,3,5-C6H3tBu3)(CO)2] toward Alkynes: Multicomponent Reactions in the Presence of Ligands

Exploring Electrophilic Hydrophosphination via Metal Phosphenium Intermediates

Two Mo(0) phosphenium complexes containing ancillary secondary phosphine ligands have been investigated with respect to their ability to participate in electrophilic addition at unsaturated substrates and subsequent P-H hydride transfer to "quench" the resulting carbocations. These studies provide stoichiometric "proof of concept" for a proposed new metal-catalyzed electrophilic hydrophosphination mechanism. The more strongly Lewis acidic phosphenium complex, [Mo(CO)4(PR2H)(PR2)]+ (R=Ph, Tolp), cleanly hydrophosphinates 1,1-diphenylethylene, benzophenone, and ethylene, while other substrates react rapidly to give products resulting from competing electrophilic processes. A less Lewis acidic complex, [Mo(CO)3(PR2H)2(PR2)]+, generally reacts more slowly but participates in clean hydrophosphination of a wider range of unsaturated substrates, including styrene, indene, 1-hexene, and cyclohexanone, in addition to 1,1-diphenylethylene, benzophenone, and ethylene. Mechanistic studies are described, including stoichiometric control reactions and computational and kinetic analyses, which probe whether the observed P-H addition actually does occur by the proposed electrophilic mechanism, and whether hydridic P-H transfer in this system is intra- or intermolecular. Preliminary reactivity studies indicate challenges that must be addressed to exploit these promising results in catalysis.

Cycloaddition and C-S Bond Cleavage Processes in Reactions of Heterometallic Phosphinidene-Bridged MoRe and MoMn Complexes with Alkynes and Phenyl Isothiocyanate

Reactions of [MoReCp(μ-PMes*)(CO)6] with internal alkynes RC≡CR yielded the phosphapropenylidene-bridged complexes [MoReCp(μ-κ2P,C:η3-PMes*CRCR)(CO)5] (Mes* = 2,4,6-C6H2tBu3; R = CO2Me, Ph). Terminal alkynes HC≡CR1 gave mixtures of isomers [MoReCp(μ-κ2P,C:η3-PMes*CHCR1)(CO)5] and [MoReCp(μ-κ2P,C:η3-PMes*CR1CH)(CO)5], with the first isomer being major (R1 = CO2Me) or unique (R1 = tBu), indicating the relevance of steric repulsions during the [2 + 2] cycloaddition step between Mo=P and C≡C bonds in these reactions. Similar reactions were observed for [MoMnCp(μ-PMes*)(CO)6]. Addition of ligands to these complexes promoted rearrangement of the phosphapropenylidene ligand into the allyl-like μ-η3:κ1C mode, as shown by the reaction of [MoReCp(μ-κ2P,C:η3-PMes*CHC(CO2Me)}(CO)5] with CN(p-C6H4OMe) to give [MoReCp{μ-η3:κ1C-PMes*CHC(CO2Me)}(CO)5{CN(p-CH4OMe)}2]. The MoRe phosphinidene complex reacted with S=C=NPh to give as major products the phosphametallacyclic complex [MoReCp{μ-κ2P,S:κ2P,S-PMes*C(NPh)S}(CO)5] and its thiophosphinidene-bridged isomer [MoReCp(μ-η2:κ1S-SPMes*)(CO)5(CNPh)]. The first product follows from a [2 + 2] cycloaddition between Mo=P and C=S bonds, with specific formation of P-C bonds, whereas the second one would arise from the alternative cycloaddition involving the formation of P-S bonds, more favored on steric grounds. The prevalence of the μ-η2:κ1S coordination mode of the SPMes* ligand over the μ-η2:κ1p mode was investigated theoretically to conclude that steric congestion favors the first mode, while the kinetic barrier for interconversion between isomers is low in any case.

Sn–H bond additions to asymmetric trigonal phosphinidene-bridged dimolybdenum complexes

Organotin hydrides add across the Mo–P double bond of binuclear phosphinidene complexes, sometimes undergoing dehydrogenation involving a cyclopentadienyl ring.

P-S bond cleavage in reactions of thiophosphinidene-bridged dimolybdenum complexes with [Co2(CO)8] to give phosphinidene-bridged heterometallic derivatives

The thiophosphinidene complex [Mo2Cp2(μ-κ(2):κ(1),η(6)-SPMes*)(CO)2] (Mes* = 2,4,6-C6H2(t)Bu3) reacted with [Co2(CO)8] at room temperature or below to give several of the following phosphinidene-bridged products, depending on reaction conditions: the MoCo complexes [CoMoCp(μ-κ(1):κ(1),η(6)-PMes*)(CO)3] and [CoMoCp(μ-PMes*)(CO)5] (Co-Mo = 2.972(1) Å), the MoCo3 cluster [Co3MoCp(μ3-PMes*)(CO)9] (Co-Mo = 2.664(1), 2.810(1) Å), and the sulphido-bridged tetranuclear complexes [Co2Mo2Cp2(μ-κ(1):κ(1):κ(1),η(4)-PMes*)(μ3-S)(CO)7] and [Co3MoCp(μ-κ(1):κ(1):κ(1),η(4)-PMes*)(μ3-S)(CO)8]. In contrast, the thiophosphinidene complex [Mo2Cp2(μ-κ(2):κ(1),η(4)-SPMes*)(CO)3] reacted with the same cobalt reagent selectively to give the above Mo2Co2 complex in very high yield. The latter could be decarbonylated photochemically to give [Co2Mo2Cp2(μ-κ(1):κ(1):κ(1),η(6)-PMes*)(μ3-S)(CO)6] (Co-Co = 2.435(3), Co-Mo = 2.769(2), 2.798(2) Å), after an η(4)- to η(6)-haptotropic rearrangement of the aryl ring of the phosphinidene ligand that could be reversed upon reaction with CO. The related complex [Mo2Cp2(μ-κ(2):κ(1),η(4)-SPMes*)(CO)2(CN(t)Bu)], however, displayed poor selectivity towards the cobalt dimer and yielded a mixture of CoMo complexes [CoMoCp(μ-PMes*)(CO)5] and [CoMoCp(μ-PMes*)(CO)3(CN(t)Bu)2], and the tetranuclear sulphido-bridged ones [Co2Mo2Cp2(μ-κ(1):κ(1):κ(1),η(4)-PMes*)(μ3-S)(CO)6(CN(t)Bu)] (Co-Co = 2.533(1), Co-Mo = 2.7485(9), 2.770(1) Å) and [Co3MoCp(μ-κ(1):κ(1):κ(1),η(4)-PMes*)(μ3-S)(CO)7(CN(t)Bu)] (Co-Co = 2.4120(7) to 2.5817(7) Å). This reduction in selectivity might have an electronic origin rather than a steric origin, since the related but cationic substrate [Mo2Cp2{μ-κ(2):κ(1),η(5)-SP(C6H3(t)Bu3)}(CO)2(CN(t)Bu)]BAr [Ar' = 3,5-C6H3(CF3)2] reacted with [Co2(CO)8] more selectively to give the sulphido-bridged Co2Mo2 complex [Co2Mo2Cp2{μ-κ(1):κ(1):κ(1),η(5)-P(C6H3(t)Bu3)}(μ3-S)(CO)6(CN(t)Bu)]BAr, along with small amounts of the Co3Mo complex [Co3MoCp{μ-κ(1):κ(1):κ(1),η(5)-P(C6H3(t)Bu3)}(μ3-S)(CO)7(CN(t)Bu)]BAr (Co-Co = 2.414(2) to 2.560(2) Å). The structure of the new complexes was analyzed on the basis of the corresponding X-ray diffraction and spectroscopic data, and likely reaction pathways were discussed on the basis of the above results and some additional experiments.

Gold(I) and related heterometallic derivatives of dimolybdenum complexes with asymmetric phosphinidene bridges

The phosphinidene-bridged complexes [Mo2Cp2(μ-κ(1):κ(1),η(6)-PR*)(CO)2] (1), [Mo2Cp2(μ-κ(1):κ(1),η(4)-PR*)(CO)3] (2), [Mo2Cp(μ-κ(1):κ(1),η(5)-PC5H4)(η(6)-HR*)(CO)2] (3), and [Mo2Cp2(μ-κ(1):κ(1)-PH)(η(6)-HR*)(CO)2] (4) were examined as precursors of heterometallic gold(I) and related derivatives (Cp = η(5)-C5H5, R* = 2,4,6-C6H2(t)Bu3). These complexes reacted with [AuCl(THT)] to give the corresponding derivatives [AuMo2ClCp2(μ-κ(1):κ(1):κ(1),η(6)-PR*)(CO)2], [AuMo2ClCp2(μ-κ(1):κ(1):κ(1),η(4)-PR*)(CO)3] (Au-Mo = 2.8493(6) Å), [AuMo2ClCp(μ-κ(1):κ(1):κ(1),η(5)-PC5H4)(CO)2(η(6)-HR*)], and [AuMo2ClCp2(μ3-PH)(CO)2(η(6)-HR*)] formally resulting from the addition of an acceptor AuCl moiety to the short Mo-P bond of the parent substrates almost perpendicular to the corresponding Mo2P plane. The chloride ligand was easily displaced upon reaction of the PC5H4-bridged gold complex with K[MoCp(CO)3] to give the tetranuclear derivative [AuMo3Cp2(μ-κ(1):κ(1):κ(1),η(5)-PC5H4)(CO)5(η(6)-HR*)] (Au-Mo = 2.711(2) and 2.807(2) Å). Compound 1 also reacted with HgI2 to give a hexanuclear complex [HgMo2Cp2(μ-I)I(μ-κ(1):κ(1),η(6)-PR*)(CO)2]2 containing dative Mo→Hg bonds (2.820(1) and 2.827(1) Å), whereas complex 3 gave the μ3-PR bridged complex [HgMo2CpI2(μ-κ(1):κ(1):κ(1),η(5)-PC5H4)(CO)2(η(6)-HR*)]. Complexes 1 to 4 also reacted easily with [AuL(THT)]PF6 (L = THT, P(p-tol)3, PMe3, P(i)Pr3) to give the corresponding cationic trinuclear derivatives [AuMo2Cp2(μ-κ(1):κ(1):κ(1),η(6)-PR*)(CO)2L](PF6) (Au-Mo = 2.8080(3) Å for L = P(p-tol)3), [AuMo2Cp2(μ-κ(1):κ(1):κ(1),η(4)-PR*)(CO)3L](PF6), and [AuMo2Cp(μ-κ(1):κ(1):κ(1),η(5)-PC5H4)(CO)2(η(6)-HR*){P(p-tol)3}](PF6). The blue, analogous PH-bridged complexes were more conveniently isolated as tetra-arylborate salts [AuMo2Cp2(μ3-PH)(CO)2(η(6)-HR*)L](BAr'4) (Au-Mo = 2.8038(6) Å for L = P(i)Pr3; Ar'= 3,5-C6H3(CF3)2]. Compounds 1, 3, and 4 reacted readily with the cation [Au(THT)2](+) (as PF6(-) or BAr'4(-) salts) in a 2:1 ratio to give respectively the corresponding pentanuclear derivatives [Au{Mo2Cp2(μ-κ(1):κ(1):κ(1),η(6)-PR*)(CO)2}2](PF6), [Au{Mo2Cp(μ-κ(1):κ(1):κ(1),η(5)-PC5H4)(CO)2(η(6)-HR*)}2](PF6) (Au-Mo = 2.7975(7) and 2.8006(7) Å), and [Au{Mo2Cp2(μ3-PH)(CO)2(η(6)-HR*)}2](BAr'4) (Au-Mo = 2.8233(8) and 2.8691(7) Å). Related silver complexes were obtained from the reaction of 3 and 4 with [AgCl(PPh3)]4 after spontaneous symmetrization, while reaction of 1 with [Cu(NCMe)4]PF6 in a 2:1 ratio yielded the analogous copper complex [Cu{Mo2Cp2(μ-κ(1):κ(1):κ(1),η(6)-PR*)(CO)2}2](PF6). All the above cationic gold complexes having (μ-κ(1):κ(1):κ(1),η(6)-PR*) ligands (but not the copper complex) rearranged into [Au{Mo2Cp(μ-κ(1):κ(1):κ(1),η(5)-PC5H4)(CO)2(η(6)-HR*)}2](PF6) in refluxing 1,2-dichloroethane solution.