Tetranuclear group 7/8 mixed-metal and open trinuclear group 7 metal carbonyl clusters bearing bridging 2-mercapto-1-methylimidazole ligands.

The reactivity of group 7 metal dinuclear carbonyl complexes [M(2)(CO)(6)(mu-SN(2)C(4)H(5))(2)] (1, M = Re; 2, M = Mn) toward group 8 metal trinuclear carbonyl clusters were examined. Reactions of 1 and 2 with [Os(3)(CO)(10)(NCMe)(2)] in refluxing benzene furnished the tetranuclear mixed-metal clusters [Os(3)Re(CO)(13)(mu(3)-SN(2)C(4)H(5))] (3) and [Os(3)Mn(CO)(13)(mu(3)-SN(2)C(4)H(5))] (4), respectively. Similar treatment of 1 and 2 with Ru(3)(CO)(12) yielded the ruthenium analogs [Ru(3)Re(CO)(13)(mu(3)-SN(2)C(4)H(5))] (5), and [Ru(3)Mn(CO)(13)(mu(3)-SN(2)C(4)H(5))] (6), but in the case of 2 a secondary product [Mn(3)(CO)(10)(mu-Cl)(mu(3)-SN(2)C(4)H(5))(2)] (7) was also formed.