The preparations of several new
(pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)osmium(II) complexes
from
the osmium(III) compound
(C5Me5)2Os2Br4
are described; among these are phosphine and
alkene complexes of stoichiometry
(C5Me5)OsL2Br and
(C5Me5)OsL2H as well as the
nitrosyl
complex (C5Me5)Os(NO)Br2.
Treatment of
(C5Me5)2Os2Br4
with PPh3 in ethanol or PMe3 in
dichloromethane affords the osmium(II) complexes
(C5Me5)OsL2Br, where L
= PPh3 or PMe3;
the 1,5-cyclooctadiene complex
(C5Me5)Os(cod)Br can be
made similarly in ethanol. Treatment of either the PPh3 or cod complex with other tertiary
phosphines in refluxing heptane
affords several other compounds of this class:
(C5Me5)OsL2Br, where L
= PEt3, 1/2
Me2PCH2PMe2, 1/2
Me2PCH2CH2PMe2,
or 1/2
Ph2PCH2PPh2. These
bromoosmium(II) species serve
as excellent starting materials for the preparation of other
osmium(II) complexes. For
example, treatment with NaBH4 in ethanol or with NaOMe in
methanol affords the hydrides
(C5Me5)OsL2H, where L =
PMe3, PEt3, PPh3,
1/2 cod, 1/2
Me2PCH2PMe2,
1/2
Me2PCH2CH2PMe2, or 1/2
Ph2PCH2PPh2.
Interestingly, treatment of
(C5Me5)Os(PMe3)2Br
with NaBH4 in
refluxing ethanol affords the dihydride cation
[(C5Me5)Os(PMe3)2H2
+],
which can be deprotonated with methyllithium in tetrahydrofuran to afford the electrically
neutral hydride
(C5Me5)Os(PMe3)2H.
This hydride complex is expected to be one of the most basic
transition
metal complexes known. Finally, treatment of
(C5Me5)2Os2Br4
with nitric oxide in dichloromethane yields the osmium(II) complex
(C5Me5)Os(NO)Br2.
IR, NMR, and mass spectra
of the new complexes are described. A secondary
13C/12C isotope effect on the 31P
NMR
chemical shifts of ca. 0.025 ppm is noted in several compounds.
Comparisons of these
osmium(II) compounds with analogous ruthenium species suggests
that the former have
stronger metal−ligand bonds, are slower to undergo nucleophilic
substitution reactions, and
are stronger reducing agents.