9,10-Phenanthrenequinone binary complexes of iron, cobalt, and nickel

Abstract

9,10-Phenanthrenequinone complexes of iron, cobalt, and nickel of formula M(quon)_n(n= 2 for Co and Ni, n= 3 for Fe) have been prepared by the direct thermal reactions of the corresponding metal carbonyls with the quinone. These are the first binary phenanthrenequinone complexes of transition metals to be reported. In these complexes, which contain a new type of highly delocalised unsaturated system, the quinone moiety is believed to be co-ordinated to the metal through the oxygen atoms, as suggested by the i.r. spectra.