Influence on transition-metal–arene complex formation of hydrogenation and rearrangement of polyaromatic substrates induced by aluminium trichloride. Octahydrophenanthrene complexes from tetralin: X-ray crystal structure of η5-1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,-endo-nonahydro-9-exo-methylphenanthrenyl(tricarbonyl)-manganese

Abstract

Formation of cationic tricarbonylmanganese complexes of tetralin or 9,10-dihydroanthracene from reactions of Mn(CO)₅Br with naphthalene or anthracene in the presence of AlCl₃ is attributed to action of the latter since it alone reduces the polyaromatic substrates under comparable conditions; reaction of tetralin with Mn(CO)₅Br–AlCl₃ affords in addition to the expected η⁶–octahydrophenanthrene analogue, the title neutral methyl derivative of which has been characterized by an X-ray crystal structure determination.