Tetranuclear Group 7/8 Mixed-Metal and Open Trinuclear Group 7 Metal Carbonyl Clusters Bearing Bridging 2-mercapto-1-methylimidazole Ligands

The reactivity of group 7 metal dinuclear carbonyl complexes [M2(CO)6(μ-SN2C4H5)2] (1, M = Re; 2, M = Mn) toward group 8 metal trinuclear carbonyl clusters were examined. Reactions of 1 and 2 with [Os3(CO)10(NCMe)2] in refluxing benzene furnished the tetranuclear mixed-metal clusters [Os3Re(CO)13(μ3-SN2C4H5)] (3) and [Os3Mn(CO)13(μ3-SN2C4H5)] (4), respectively. Similar treatment of 1 and 2 with Ru3(CO)12 yielded the ruthenium analogs [Ru3Re(CO)13(μ3-SN2C4H5)] (5), and [Ru3Mn(CO)13(μ3-SN2C4H5)] (6), but in the case of 2 a secondary product [Mn3(CO)10(μ-Cl)(μ3-SN2C4H5)2] (7) was also formed. Compounds 3–6 have a butterfly core of four metal atoms with the M (Mn or Re) at a wingtip of the butterfly and containing a noncrystallographic mirror plane of symmetry. This result provides a potential method for the synthesis of a series of new group 7/8 mixed metal complexes containing a bifunctional heterocyclic ligand. Compound 7 is a unique example of a 54-electron trimanganese complex having bridging 2-mercapto-1-methylimidazolate and chloride ligands. Interestingly, the reaction of 1 with Fe3(CO)12 at 70–75 °C furnished the tri- and dirhenium complexes [Re3(CO)10(μ-H)(μ3-SN2C4H5)2] (8) and [Re2(CO)6(N2C4H5)(μ-SN2C4H5)2] (9), respectively instead of the expected formation of the mixed-metal clusters. The former is an interesting example of a 52-electron trirhenium-hydridic complex containing bridging 2-mercapto-1-methylimidazolate ligand, while the latter can be viewed as a 1-methylimidazole adduct of 1. No mixed Fe–Re complexes were produced in this reaction. The molecular structures of the new compounds 3–5 and 7–9 were established by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses and the DFT studies of compounds 5, 7 and 8 are reported