Osmium complexes trinuclear carbonyl

This observation may well explain the considerable difference between metal-olefin and metal-acetylene chemistry observed for the trinuclear metal carbonyl compounds of this group. As with iron, ruthenium and osmium have an extensive and rich chemistry, with acetylenic complexes involving in many instances polymerization reactions, and, as noted above for both ruthenium and osmium trinuclear carbonyl derivatives, olefin addition normally occurs with interaction at one olefin center. The main metal-ligand framework is often the same for both acetylene and olefin adducts, and differs in that, for the olefin complexes, two metal-hydrogen bonds are formed by transfer of hydrogen from the olefin. The steric requirements of these two edgebridging hydrogen atoms appear to be considerable and may reduce the tendency for the addition of the second olefin molecule to the metal cluster unit and hence restrict the equivalent chemistry to that observed for the acetylene derivatives. 

Photochemical Activation. Coordinative unsaturated fragments may also be produced by photolytic reactions. In presence of UV-irradiation metal carbonyl compounds lose sequentially CO-ligands. Electron-deficient, solvent coordinated species produced in this way may combine with inactivated metal complexes via the formation of donor-acceptor metal-metal bonds. Iron, ruthenium, and osmium trinuclear carbonyl clusters may be prepared by this way ... 

The various modes of bonding that have been observed for alkenes to the trinuclear osmium clusters are shown in Fig. 7 [see (88)]. The simple 77-bonded structure (a) is relatively unstable and readily converts to (c) the vinyl intermediate (b) is obtained by interaction of alkene with H2Os3(CO)10 and also readily converts to (c) on warming. Direct reaction of ethylene with Os3(CO)12 produces (c), which is considered to be formed via the sequence (a) — (b) — (c) and (d). Both isomers (c) and (d) are observed and involve metal-hydrogen and metal-carbon bond formation at the expense of carbon-hydrogen bonds. In the reaction of Os3(CO)12 with C2H4, the complex 112088(00)902112, (c), is formed in preference to (d). Acyclic internal olefins also react with the carbonyl, with isomerization, to yield a structure related to (c). Structure (c) is... 

Ru3(CO)10(Ph2C2)2, and Ru3(CO)9(C2(Ph)2)3 (128). The dinuclear complex Ru2(CO)6(C2Ph2)2, containing a metallocyclopentadiene ring similar to that observed for both iron and osmium, is a further product in the reaction this does imply very similar structures for the trinuclear adducts to those observed for iron and osmium. The carbonyl reacts with tetracyclone to yield the complex Ru3(CO)i0(C2Ph2)2, which may be related to the osmium compounds discussed later. Phosphine substitution of the carbonyls in some of these compounds has been established. 

Not only N, but also C atoms can take part as donor centers in azacymantrene 760 (E = N, R = H) and azaferrocene 763 (R = H). In this respect, the formation of a trinuclear osmium-carbonyl adduct 768 is representative, which takes place in the reaction of the indicated azacenes with acetonitrile complex of triosmium decarbonyl [482] ... 

All three Group 8 metals form trinuclear clusters M3(CO)i2. However, while all carbonyl ligands in ruthenium and osmium dodecacarbonyl complexes coordinate to the metal center as terminal carbonyls, there are two bridged carbonyl groups in iron dodecacarbonyl. This may be due to the smaller van der Waals radius of the iron atom. In this section, Fe(CO)5, Fe2(CO)9and Na2[Fe(CO)4] are reviewed. 

The most extensive studies of the chemistiy of cluster complexes have been associated with the trinuclear cluster unit, as may be anticipated. A wide range of substitution reactions has been demonstrated for both Ru3(CO)i2 and Os3(CO)i2, with the full range of ligands normally employed in the study of metal carbonyl chemistry. In genera 1, the trinuclear osmium cluster is more readily maintained, ruthenium often giving rise to cluster breakdown, yielding mononuclear and binu-clear adducts. This reflects the increased bond enei of the metal-metal bond on descending the triad (see Table X later in this section). 

Following the isolation of these complexes, all of the mechanistic studies on the carbonylation and reduction reactions of nitroarenes catalysed by Ru3(CO)i2, even in the presence of several promoters, have focused on the reactivity of these or related clusters [157-164]. Moreover, many studies have been also conducted on analogous osmium [165-172] and iron (see paragraph 6.6.) clusters, including insertion reactions of isocyanates, which yield potential intermediates in the carbonylation reaction (Insertion reaction of other cumulenes into the Ru-N bond will not be discussed here. However, see the paragraph of the synthesis of heterocycles later in this chapter). Although not all of the previously mentioned studies were intended to be a basis for a mechanistic understanding of the reactions here discussed, they still contain a lot of information on the possible transformations of amido or imido moieties on a trinuclear cluster. 

Trinuclear osmium clusters have received considerable attention recently. The green isomer of [Os3(//-H)2(CO)9(CNBu )], in contrast to the previously known red isomers, contains the CNBu ligand bonded in an axial site to the Os atom not associated with bridging hydrides. Fluxionality is associated with 3-fold rotation of the carbonyls of the Os(CO)3 units, the hydride ligands and carbonyls of the Os(CO)3(CNBu ) remaining unaffected. In the complex [ (OC)4(Bu NC)Os Os3(CO)u] there is evidence of restricted rotation about one of the Os—Os bonds at... 

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