Organometallic chalcogen complexes. XXVI. Synthesis, structure, and bonding of cubane-like tetra-.mu.3-sulfido-tetra-.pi.-pentahaptocyclopentadienyl tetracobalt(III) [Co4(h5-C5H5)4S4] tetramers (n = 0, +1). Stereochemical influence due to oxidation of completely nonbonding tetrahedral metal system

Homometallic Cubane Clusters: Participation of Three-Coordinated Hydrogen in 60-Valence Electron Cubane Core

This work describes the synthesis, structural characterizations, and electronic structures of a series of novel homometallic cubane clusters [(Cp*Ru)2{Ru(CO)2}2BH(μ3-E)(μ-H)B(μ-H)3M], (2, M = Cp*Ru, E = CO; 3, M = Ru(Cp*Ru)2(μ-CO)3(μ-H)BH), E = BH), [(Cp*Ru)3(μ3-CO)(BH)3(μ3-H)3], 4, and [(Cp*Ru)2(μ3-CO){Ru(CO)3}2(BH)2(μ-H)B], 5 (Cp* = η(5)-C5Me5). These cubane clusters have been isolated from a thermally driven reaction of diruthenium analogue of pentaborane(9) [(Cp*RuH)2B3H7], 1, and [Ru3(CO)12]. Structural and spectroscopic studies revealed the existence of triply bridged hydrogen (μ3-H) atoms that participate as a vertex in the cubane core formation for compounds 2, 3, and 4. In addition, the crystal structure of these clusters clearly confirms the presence of an electron precise borane ligand (borylene fragment) which is triply bridged to the trimetallic units. Bonding of these novel complexes has been studied computationally by DFT methods, and the studies demonstrate that the cubane clusters 2 and 3 possess 60 cluster valence electrons (cves) with six metal-metal bonds. All the new compounds have been characterized in solution by mass spectrometry; IR; and (1)H, (11)B, and (13)C NMR studies, and the structural types were unequivocally established by crystallographic analysis of compounds 2-5.

Cubane-type Co4S4 clusters: synthesis, redox series, and magnetic ground states

The recent demonstration that the carbene cluster [Fe(4)S(4)(Pr(i)(2)NHCMe(2))(4)] (9) is an accurate structural and electronic analogue of the fully reduced cluster of the iron protein of Azotobacter vinelandii nitrogenase, including a common S = 4 ground state, raises the issue of the existence and magnetism of other [M(4)S(4)L(4)](z) clusters, none of which are known with transition metals other than iron. The system CoCl(2)/Pr(i)(3)P/(Me(3)Si)(2)S/THF assembles [Co(4)S(4)(PPr(i)(3))(4)] (3), which is converted to [Co(4)S(4)(Pr(i)(2)NHCMe(2))(4)] (5) upon reaction with carbene. The clusters support the redox series [3](1-/0/1+) and [5](0/1+/2+); monocations (4, 6) have been isolated by chemical oxidation. Redox potentials and substitution reactions indicate that the carbene is the more effective electron donor to tetrahedral Fe(II) and Co(II) sites. Clusters 3-6 have the same overall cubane-type geometry as 9. Neutral clusters 3 and 5 have an S = 3 ground state. As with the S = 4 state of 9 with local spins S(Fe) = 2, the septet spin state can be described in terms of the coupling of three parallel and one antiparallel spins S(Co) = 3/2. The octanuclear clusters [Co(8)S(8)(PPr(i)(3))(6)](0,1+) were isolated as minor byproducts of the formation and chemical oxidation of 3. The clusters exhibit a rhomb-bridged noncubane (RBNC) structure, whereas clusters with the Fe(8)S(8) core possess edge-bridged double-cubane (EBDC) stereochemistry. There are two structural solutions for the M(8)S(8) core in the form of topological isomers whose stability may depend on valence electron count. A conceptual model for the RBNC <--> EBDC interconversion is presented. (Pr(i)(2)NHCMe(2) = C(11)H(20)N(2) = 1,3-diisopropyl-4,5-dimethylimidazol-2-ylidene).

On the electronic origins of structural isomerism in the iron-sulfur cubane, [(C(5)H(5))(4)Fe(4)S(4)](2+)

Density functional theory provides new insights into the structural isomerism observed in the cyclopentadienyl-capped iron-sulfur cluster, [(C(5)H(5))(4)Fe(4)S(4)](2+). Two distinct, closely spaced minima have been located, a triplet with D(2) symmetry and a C(2)-symmetric singlet, both of which correspond closely to the structure of one of the known crystal forms of the cation. Thus, the structural diversity in these species reflects genuine molecular bistability rather than simple solid-state packing effects. In contrast, no stable D(2)(d)()-symmetric minimum has been located, suggesting that the reported D(2)(d)() symmetry of the cation in [(C(5)H(5))(4)Fe(4)S(4)][PF(6)](2) may be a crystallographic artifact. In the ruthenium analogue, the more diffuse 4d orbitals stabilize the C(2)-symmetric singlet, which is unambiguously the ground state, but the D(2)-symmetric potential energy surface provides a viable low-energy pathway for the dynamic exchange of the Ru-Ru bonds.