Oxidative addition of halogens to MoRu(CO)6(dppm)2

Halogens oxidatively add to MoRu(CO)6(μ-dppm)2 (1) at ambient temperature to yield [(CO)2Mo(μ-X)(μ-CO)(μ-dppm)2Ru(CO)2]+[Mo(CO)4X3]−, where X=Cl (2) or I (3), dppm=Ph2PCH2PPh2, and the μ-CO is semi-bridging. Complexes 2 and 3 have been characterized by elemental analysis, conductivity, and NMR spectroscopy, while the molecular structure of 3 has been determined by X-ray crystallography. Ignoring a weak metal–metal bond interaction, the cation of 3 is most easily described as pseudo-octahedral at Ru(II) and Mo(0) centres; the anion is a monocapped octahedron that has been described previously.