Copper carbene complexes. Synthesis and structural analysis of a chloro-bridged dicopper cation and the triosmium-copper carbene cluster complex HOs3(CO)11[µ-Cu(IPr)

Abstract

The chloro-bridged carbene-substituted dicopper salt [{(IPr)Cu}2(µ-Cl)][PF6], 1, IPr = [N,N′-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazolin-2- ylidene], was synthesized by the reaction of (IPr)CuCl with Tl[PF6]. Reaction of 1 with the anion, [HOs3(CO)11]− of the salt [PPN][HOs3(CO)11], 2 yielded the Cu - Os heterometallic cluster complex, HOs3(CO)11[µ-Cu(IPr)], 3, the first example of Cu - Os bimetallic cluster complex containing a N-heterocyclic carbene ligand. Compounds 1 and 3 were characterized by IR, 1H NMR and structurally by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Compound 3 contains a triosmium carbonyl cluster with a bridging Cu(IPr) group on one edge of the cluster and a terminally-coordinated hydrido ligand on one of the Cu-bridged osmium atoms.