Bond Trading: Intramolecular Metal and Ligand Exchange within a NO/Ni/Co Complex.

With the goal of generating hetero-redox levels on metals as well as on nitric oxide (NO), metallodithiolate (N S )Co (NO ), N S = N,N- dibenzyl-3,7-diazanonane-1,9-dithiolate, is introduced as ligand to a well-characterized labile [Ni (NO) ] synthon. The reaction between [Ni (NO )] and [Co (NO )] has led to a remarkable electronic and ligand redistribution to form a heterobimetallic dinitrosyl cobalt [(N S )Ni ∙Co(NO) ] complex with formal two electron oxidation state switches concomitant with the nickel extraction or transfer as Ni into the N S ligand binding site. To date, this is the first reported heterobimetallic cobalt dinitrosyl complex.