The reactions of 2-hydroxypyridine ligands with Re2Cl4(μ-dppm)2 (dppm=Ph2PCH2PPh2) that lead to 2-pyridonate complexes

2-Hydroxypyridine (Hhp), 2-hydroxynicotinic acid (HnicOH) and 6-hydroxypicolinic acid (HpicOH) react with Re2Cl4(μ-dppm)2 (dppm=Ph2PCH2PPh2) to afford the complexes Re2(η2-hp)Cl3(μ-dppm)2 (1), Re2(η2-HnicO)Cl3(μ-dppm)2 (2) and Re2(μ-picO)2(μ-dppm)2 (3). The identities of 1 and 2 have been established by single-crystal X-ray structure determinations (Re–Re distances of 2.2602(3) and 2.2539(3) Å, respectively) and they are shown to have unsymmetrical structures with staggered rotational geometries and trans, cis coordination of the pair of μ-dppm ligands. The crystal of 2 that was used in the structure determination was found to be of composition 2Re2(η2-HnicO)Cl3(μ-dppm)2 · Re2Cl6(μ-dppm)2 · 2.906CH2Cl2. The structure of Re2Cl6(μ-dppm)2 in this crystal is compared with structures reported in the literature for other crystals that contain this edge-sharing bioctahedral dirhenium(III) complex.