Fiodor M. Dolgushin, Elena V. Grachova, Brian T. Heaton, Jonathan A. Iggo, Igor O. Koshevoy, Ivan S. Podkorytov, Daniel J. Smawfield, Sergey P. Tunik, Robin Whyman and Aleksandr I. Yanovskii
Two novel mixed metal rhodium–platinum clusters have been synthesized by the reaction of [Rh4(CO)12] with [Pt(PPh3)3]. The structure of [Rh2Pt3(µ-CO)5(CO)4(PPh3)3] 1 has been established by a single crystal X-ray diffraction study. The tetranuclear cluster [Rh2Pt2(µ-CO)3(CO)4(PPh3)3] 2 has been characterised by FAB mass spectrometry and shown by various multinuclear NMR techniques (13C, 31P, {31P–31P} COSY and {13C–103Rh} and {31P–103Rh} heteronuclear multiple quantum coherence, HMQC) to adopt a butterfly type structure. The carbonyl migration pathways in 2 have been established by a combination of EXSY and 1-D variable temperature measurements; independent localised exchange about the hinge rhodium atoms and interchange of bridging and semi-bridging carbonyls on the Pt–Rh bonds occur.