Thermolysis of Os
3(CO)
11(SbPh
3),
1, in refluxing octane gave initially the clusters Os
3(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-SbPh
2)(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-H)(
3,
2-C
6H
4)(CO)
9,
2, and Os
6(
3-SbPh)(
3,
2-C
6H
4)(CO)
20,
3. Prolonged heatinggave the cluster Os
6(
4-Sb)(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-H)(
3,
4-C
12H
8)(
3,
2-C
6H
4)(CO)
16,
4, as the major product. Incontrast, thermolysis in hexane at 115
![](/images/entities/deg.gif)
C in a Carius tube gave Os
6(
4-Sb)(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-SbPh
2)(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-H)
2(
3,
4-C
12H
8)(
3,
2-C
6H
4)(CO)
15,
5, Os
6(
4-Sb)(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-SbPh
2)(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-H)(
3,
2-C
6H
4)
2(C
6H
5)(CO)
16,
6, andOs
6(
4-Sb)(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-SbPh
2)(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-H)(
3,
6-C
6H
4)(
3,
2-C
6H
4)(C
6H
5)(CO)
15,
7, besides
2 and
3. It has beendemonstrated that cluster
6 was formed from
2, while clusters
5 and
7 were formed fromthe further decomposition of
6. The reaction of 5 with SbPh
3 afforded a monosubstitutedderivative, Os
6(
4-Sb)(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-H)
2(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-SbPh
2)(
3,
2-C
6H
4)(
3,
4-C
12H
8)(CO)
14(SbPh
3),
8. The clusters
2-
8 were all shown by single-crystal X-ray crystallographic studies to have a benzyne moietyacting as a four-electron donor to a triosmium fragment. In addition,
4 and
8 contain anovel
3,
4-biphenylene moiety bound to a triosmium framework, while
7 was found to havea
3,
1:
1:
6-C
6H
4 ring.