Closing the gap between MC3 and MC5 metallacumulenes: the chemistry of the first structurally characterized transition-metal complex with M=C=C=C=CR2 as the molecular unit.

The reactions of the dihydrido compound [IrH2Cl(PiPr3)2] (3) with HC identical to CC(O)CHPh2 and HC identical to CC(OAc)=CPh2 lead to the formation of alkynyl-(hydrido)iridium(III) and vinylideneiridium(I) complexes 4-7 which, however, are not suitable precursors for the target molecule trans-[IrCl(=C=C=C=CPh2)-(PiPr3)2] (8). Compound 8 has been prepared in 77% yield from 3 and the vinyl triflate HC identical to CC(OTf)=CPh2 in the presence of NEt3. Treatment of 8 with CF3CO2H affords the vinylvinylidene complex trans-[IrCl(=C=CHC(O2C-CF3)=CPh2)(PiPr3)2] (10) by addition of the electrophile to the C beta-C gamma bond of the MC4 chain. In contrast, the reaction of 8 with HCl yields the five-coordinate butadienyliridium(III) compound [IrCl2-(eta 1-(Z)-CH=CHC(Cl)=CPh2)(PiPr3)2] (11). Salt metathesis of 8 with KI, KOH, and NaN3 leads to the formation of the substitution products trans-[IrX-(=C=C=C=CPh2)(PiPr3)2] (12-14) of which the hydroxo derivative 13 reacts with phenol to give trans-[Ir(OPh)(=C=C=C=CPh2)(PiPr3)2] (15). From 13 and methanol, the octahedral dihydridoiridium(III) complex [IrH2(CH=C=C=CPh2)(CO)(PiPr3)2] (16) is formed by fragmentation of the alcohol. In the presence of CO, both the methyl compound trans-[Ir(CH3)(=C=C=C=CPh2)-(PiPr3)2] (17) (generated from 8 and CH3Li) and the azido complex 14 (X=N3) undergo migratory insertion reactions to yield the four-coordinate iridium(I) carbonyls trans-[Ir(C(C identical to CCH3)=CPh2)(CO)(PiPr3)2] (18) and trans-[Ir(C identical to CC(N3)=CPh2)(CO)(PiPr3)2] (19), respectively. Compound 19 rearranges slowly to the thermodynamically more stable isomer trans-[Ir(C(N3)=C=C=CPh2)(CO)(PiPr3)2] (20). The molecular structures of 8 and 18 have been determined crystallographically.