Synthesis, structure and reactivity of [Mn2(CO)6(μ-MBT)2] (MBT = 2-mercaptobenzothiazolato): A versatile precursor for mono- and polynuclear compounds

Reaction between Mn2(CO)10 and 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (MBTH) in the presence of Me3NO at 25 °C gives the dimanganese complex [Mn2(CO)6(μ-MBT)2] (1). Complex 1 reacts with diphosphines, e.g., 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane (dppe) and 1,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)propane (dppp) in refluxing cyclohexane to afford cis-[Mn(CO)2(κ2-MBT)(κ2-dppe)] (2) and cis-[Mn(CO)2(κ2-MBT)(κ2-dppp)] (2), respectively, whereas similar reactions with diamines, e.g., 2,2′-bipyridine (bipy), 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) and ethylenediamine (en) at 25 °C furnish fac-[Mn(CO)3(κ1-MBT)(κ2-bipy)] (4), fac-[Mn(CO)3(κ1-MBT)(κ2-phen)] (5) and fac-[Mn(CO)3(κ1-MBT)(κ2-en)] (6), respectively. Treatment of 1 with [Os3(CO)10(NCMe)2] at 80 °C affords the mixed Mn–Os cluster [MnOs3(CO)13(μ3-MBT)] (7) which possesses a butterfly skeleton of four metal atoms. All the new complexes have been characterized by spectroscopic data together with single crystal X-ray diffraction studies for 1, 2, 4 and 7.