T-Butyl isocyanide complexes of rhenium(I), chromium(O), tungsten(O,I) and platinum(II); X-ray crystal structures of bis(t-butylisocyanide)- tris(trimethylphosphine)chlororhenium(I) and tris(t-butylisocyanide)bis(trimethyl- phosphine)chlororhenium(I)

Abstract

The reduction of ReCl4(THF)2 in the presence of excess t-butylisocyanide by sodium amalgam produces pentakis(t-butylisocyanide)chlororhenium(I), which has been converted to the corresponding methyl and ethyl derivatives. The reaction of pentakis(trimethylphosphine)chlororhenium(I) with ButNC gives partially substituted complexes, ReCl(CNBut)2(PMe3)3 and ReCl(CNBut)3(PMe3)2. The structures of both compounds have been determined by X-ray methods. Octahedral ReCl(CNBut)2(PMe3)3 has trans isocyanide groups with one linear [CNC = 175(1)°] and one slightly bent [CNC = 159(1)°]. The ReC bond lengths are equal within experimental error [2.004(7), 2.003(7)Å]. In the octahedral ReCl(CNBut)3(PMe3)2, for which the structure is not well defined, due to disorder, the unique isocyanide trans to chlorine is considerably bent at the nitrogen atom [CNˆC = 141(6)°] and appears to show the shortest ReC bond length, 1.94(5) vs 2.02(5)Åfor the other two isocyanides which are mutually trans. Protonation of these two isocyanide complexes with fluoroboric acid gives, respectively, the salts [ReCl(CNBut)CNHBut(PMe3)3]BF4 and [ReCl(CNBut)2CNHBut(PMe3)2]BF4, whose configurations have been determined by NMR spectroscopy. The reduction by sodium amalgam of Cr2(CO2Me)4 in tetrahydrofuran in presence of ButNC gives a high yield of Cr(CNBut)6 while similar reduction of the dimeric tungsten(II) complex of the anion (mhp) of 2-methyl-6- hydroxypyridine gives W(CNBut)6. Interaction of W2(mhp)4 in methanol-ether with ButNC gives a tungsten(I) complex W2(η-mhp)2(ButNC)4, which may be an intermediate in the reductive cleavage reaction. Interaction of cis-PtMe2(PMe3)2 with ButNC leads only to replacement of one PMe3 group to give the complex cis-PtMe2(PMe3)(CNBut).