First example of a phosphino-phosphinidene complex. Crystal and molecular structure of the novel triruthenium carbonyl cluster complex [Ru3(CO)9(P5C5But5)] containing a phosphino-phosphinidene, acting as a six-electron donor

Abstract

The pentaphospha-ferrocene [Fe(η⁵-P₃C₂Bu^t₂)(η⁵-P₂C₃Bu^t₃)], 1, reacts with [Ru₃(CO)₁₂], with extrusion of iron, to afford the novel phosphino-phosphinidene triruthenium nonacarbonyl cluster, [Ru₃(CO)₉(P₅C₅Bu^t₅)], whose structure, elucidated by a single crystal X-ray crystallographic study, is related to that of the P₅C₅Bu^t₅ cage.