In hydrocarbon solutions W
2(OCH
2tBu)
6(py)
2,
1, and 1,3-butadiene and isoprene reversibly
form adducts W
2(OCH
2tBu)
6(diene)(py), compounds
2 (diene = 1,3-butadiene) and
3 (diene= isoprene). The structures o
f 1,
2, and
3 are reported. For
1 there is a central O
3NW
![](/images/entities/tbd1.gi<font color=)
f">WNO
3 core with W-W = 2.334(1) Å, and each W atom is in a distorted square-basedpyramidal environment with the W
![](/images/entities/tbd1.gi<font color=)
f">W bond in the apical site. In
2 and
3 there is a commonW
2O
6C
4N core wherein the diene adopts a novel mode o
f coordination,
![](/images/entities/mgr.gi<font color=)
f">,
![](/images/gi<font color=)
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f" BORDER=0 >
1,
![](/images/gi<font color=)
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f" BORDER=0 >
4. One W atomis coordinated to
five oxygen atoms and the bridging carbon atom o
f the
![](/images/entities/mgr.gi<font color=)
f">-diene ligand,while the other is bonded to three oxygen atoms, a pyridine nitrogen, and
four carbon atomso
f the diene. The structure may be viewed as being derived
from a con
facial bioctahedronwith two bridging OR ligands and one bridging alkyl. In this view the diene can be consideredas a
![](/images/entities/mgr.gi<font color=)
f">-metalated
![](/images/gi<font color=)
fchars/pi.gi
f" BORDER=0 > (
![](/images/gi<font color=)
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f" BORDER=0 >
3-)allyl or a 2- ligand. The W-W distances are 2.471(1) Å in
2 and2.464(1) Å in
3, consistent with a (W=W)
8+ core. The isoprene structure
3 reveals a disorderinvolving primarily the location o
f the isoprene C-Me group over two sites. The variable-temperature
1H and
13C{
1H} NMR spectra reveal the dynamic equilibria involving
1 + thediene and
2 and
3. The spectra o
f 2 and
3 are entirely reconcilable with the solid-statestructures, and
for the deuterated complexes W
2(OCD
2tBu)
6(diene)(py) all the
1H signals o
fthe diene are assigned by a combination o
f COSY and HETCOR spectra. For
3 there existsa mixture o
f the two isomers, di
ffering with respect to the position o
f the isoprene C-Megroup as seen in the solid-state structure. These interconvert by a reversible dissociativepathway. Though other 1,3-dienes have not been
found to
form adducts, we have
foundselective 1,2-hydrogenation to give 3-enes in the presence o
f W
2(OCH
2tBu)
6(py)
2. Thishydrogenation is not restricted to dienes but is also observed
for cis-cyclic ole
fins. The additiono
f D
2 to norbornene reveals the stereospeci
fic cis-addition at the endo sites. The addition o
fD
2 to 1,3-butadiene and isoprene gives CH
2DCHDCH=CH
2 and CH
2DCHDCMe=CH
2,respectively. These results are discussed in terms o
f other substrate activations by W
2(OR)
6compounds and other hydrogenation reactions.