Insertion of manganese into a C–S bond of dibenzothiophene: a model for homogeneous hydrodesulfurization

Abstract

Coordination of Mn(CO)₃⁺ to a carbocyclic ring of dibenzothiophene activates a C–S bond to reductive cleavage, affording a novel tetramanganese metallathiacycle 5 that reacts with H₂ to form a dimanganese complex 9 containing bridging hydride and thiolate ligands; methylation of 5 followed by hydrogenation results in desulfurization of the dibenzothiophene and formation of [Mn(CO)₅(SMe)].