Low-temperature neutron diffraction study of bis(tri-p-tolylphosphine)heptahydridorhenium(VII), [ReH7{P(C6H4CH3-4)3}2]: a polyhydride complex with a short H ⋯ H contact that models an intermediate stage in the oxidative addition of dihydrogen at transition metal centres

Abstract

Low-temperature neutron diffraction shows that the title compound has an H ⋯ H separation [1.357(7)Å] intermediate in length between the accepted ranges for ‘classical’ non-bonded dihydrides and more recently reported dihydrogen ligands, thus providing a model for the intermediate stages of oxidative addition of dihydrogen at transition metal centres.