Carbon compounds of the transition metals. Part XXVI. Crystal and molecular structure of di-µ-chloro-dicarbonylrhodium(I)bis(phenylazophenyl-2C,N′)rhodium(III)

Abstract

The crystal structure of the title compound (I) contains an octahedral bis(phenylazophenyl)rhodium moiety (with two five-membered Rh–C–C–N–N chelate rings) attached to a square planar dicarbonylrhodium group via two chlorine bridge atoms. The Rh ⋯ Rh distance is 3·551(2)Å and the molecule is folded about the chlorine bridge by 27°. The Rh–Cl distances trans to the Rh–C(CO) and Rh–C(Ph₂N₂) bonds respectively are 2·374(5) and 2·532(5)Å. The crystals are trigonal with a= 23·363(7) and c= 17·689(5)Å, space group P3c1. The structure was solved from diffractometer data by Patterson and Fourier methods and refined by large-block-diagonal least-squares techniques to R 6·3% for 1797 unique reflections.