Influence on transition-metal–arene complex formation of hydrogenation and rearrangement of polyaromatic substrates induced by aluminium trichloride. Octahydrophenanthrene complexes from tetralin: X-ray crystal structure of η5-1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,-endo-nonahydro-9-exo-methylphenanthrenyl(tricarbonyl)-manganese

Abstract

Formation of cationic tricarbonylmanganese complexes of tetralin or 9,10-dihydroanthracene from reactions of Mn(CO)5Br with naphthalene or anthracene in the presence of AlCl3 is attributed to action of the latter since it alone reduces the polyaromatic substrates under comparable conditions; reaction of tetralin with Mn(CO)5Br–AlCl3 affords in addition to the expected η6–octahydrophenanthrene analogue, the title neutral methyl derivative of which has been characterized by an X-ray crystal structure determination.