Trimethylsilylmethyl and other alkyls of chromium, molybdenum, ruthenium, and rhodium from interaction of magnesium dialkyls with metal–metal bonded binuclear acetates of chromium(II), molybdenum(II), ruthenium(II, III), and rhodium(II)

Abstract

The interaction between dialkylmagnesium MgR₂(R = Me, CH₂SiMe₃, or CH₂CMe₃) and binuclear transition-metal acetates M₂^II(O₂CMe)₄(M = Cr, Mo, and Rh) and Ru₂^II,III(O₂CMe)₄CI, containing metal–metal bonds in the presence of trimethylphosphine yields either monomeric or dimeric alkyls. In the latter the metal–metal bond is retained as in Mo₂Me₄(PMe₃)₄ or Mo₂(Bu^tCH₂)₂(O₂CMe)₂(PMe₃)₂. Loss of a hydrogen from a methyl group of CH₂SiMe₃ results in the formation of metallacycles [graphic omitted]H₂ and [graphic omitted]H₂. The various compounds have been studied by ¹H, ¹³C and ³¹P n.m.r. and i.r. spectroscopy and the results of structural determinations by X-ray crystallography are reported.