Manganese tricarbonyl transfer (MTT) reagents in the construction of novel organometallic systems

Abstract

Naphthalene and related conjugated polycyclic arenes readily coordinate through one carbocyclic ring to Mn(CO) 3 +. The resulting complexes, e.g., (η 6-naphthalene)Mn(CO) 3 +, function as very effective manganese tricarbonyl transfer (MTT) reagents, largely because of facile η 6→η 4 ring slippage. The MTT complexes can be used to synthesize a range of novel organometallic systems, including metal–carbonyl-capped metallocenes, and homo- and heteronuclear bimetallic naphthalene complexes. They are also the basis for the complexation and activation of benzothiophenes to desulfurization and of hydroquinones to deprotonation and self-assembly into supramolecular quinonoid coordination networks.