The unsaturated co
mplexes [W
2Cp
2(
mages/entities/
mgr.gif">-PR
2)(
mages/entities/
mgr.gif">-PR'
2)(CO)
2] (Cp =
mages/gifchars/eta.gif" BORDER=0 >
5-C
5H
5; R = R' = Ph, Et; R = Et, R' = Ph)react with HBF
4·OEt
2 at 243 K in dichloro
methane solution to give the corresponding co
mplexes [W
2Cp
2(H)(
mages/entities/
mgr.gif">-PR
2)(
mages/entities/
mgr.gif">-PR'
2)(CO)
2]BF
4, which contain a ter
minal hydride ligand. The latter rearrange at roo
m te
mperature to give[W
2Cp
2(
mages/entities/
mgr.gif">-H)(
mages/entities/
mgr.gif">-PR
2)(
mages/entities/
mgr.gif">-PR'
2)(CO)
2]BF
4, which display a bridging hydride and carbonyl ligands arranged parallel toeach other (W-W = 2.7589(8) Å when R = R' = Ph). This explains why the re
moval of a proton fro
m the lattergives first the unstable iso
mer
cis-[W
2Cp
2(
mages/entities/
mgr.gif">-PPh
2)
2(CO)
2]. The
molybdenu
m co
mplex [Mo
2Cp
2(
mages/entities/
mgr.gif">-PPh
2)
2(CO)
2] behavessi
milarly, and thus the ther
mally unstable new co
mplexes [Mo
2Cp
2(H)(
mages/entities/
mgr.gif">-PPh
2)
2(CO)
2]BF
4 and
cis-[Mo
2Cp
2(
mages/entities/
mgr.gif">-PPh
2)
2(CO)
2] could be characterized. In contrast, related di
molybdenu
m co
mplexes having electron-rich phosphide ligandsbehave differently. Thus, the co
mplexes [Mo
2Cp
2(
mages/entities/
mgr.gif">-PR
2)
2(CO)
2] (R = Cy, Et) react with HBF
4·OEt
2 to give first theagostic type phosphine-bridged co
mplexes [Mo
2Cp
2(
mages/entities/
mgr.gif">-PR
2)(
mages/entities/
mgr.gif">-
mages/gifchars/kappa.gif" BORDER=0 >
2-HPR
2)(CO)
2]BF
4 (Mo-Mo = 2.748(4) Å for R =Cy). These co
mplexes experience intra
molecular exchange of the agostic H ato
m between the two inequivalent Ppositions and at roo
m-te
mperature reach a proton-catalyzed equilibriu
m with their hydride-bridged tauto
mers [ratioagostic/hydride = 10 (R = Cy), 30 (R = Et)]. The
mixed-phosphide co
mplex [Mo
2Cp
2(
mages/entities/
mgr.gif">-PCy
2)(
mages/entities/
mgr.gif">-PPh
2)(CO)
2]behaves si
milarly, except that protonation now occurs specifically at the dicyclohexylphosphide ligand [ratio agostic/hydride = 0.5]. The reaction of the agostic co
mplex [Mo
2Cp
2(
mages/entities/
mgr.gif">-PCy
2)(
mages/entities/
mgr.gif">-
mages/gifchars/kappa.gif" BORDER=0 >
2-HPCy
2)(CO)
2]BF
4 with CN
tBu gave
mono- or disubstituted hydride derivatives [Mo
2Cp
2(
mages/entities/
mgr.gif">-H)(
mages/entities/
mgr.gif">-PCy
2)
2(CO)
2-x(CN
tBu)
x]BF
4 (Mo-Mo = 2.7901(7) Å for
x = 1). The photoche
mical re
moval of a CO ligand fro
m the agostic co
mplex also gives a hydride derivative, thetriply bonded co
mplex [Mo
2Cp
2(H)(
mages/entities/
mgr.gif">-PCy
2)
2(CO)]BF
4 (Mo-Mo = 2.537(2) Å). Protonation of [Mo
2Cp
2(
mages/entities/
mgr.gif">-PCy
2)
2(
mages/entities/
mgr.gif">-CO)] gives the hydroxycarbyne derivative [Mo
2Cp
2(
mages/entities/
mgr.gif">-COH)(
mages/entities/
mgr.gif">-PCy
2)
2]BF
4, which does not transfor
m into its hydrideiso
mer.