Ruthenium cluster carbonyls containing ligands derived from ferrocenylalkynes

Reactions of FcCCH (a), HCCCCFc (b) and FcCCCCFc (c) with Ru3(CO)10(NCMe)2 (all) and Ru3(μ-dppm)(CO)10 (b and c only) are described. Among the products, the complexes Ru3(μ3-RC2R′)(μ-CO)(CO)9 (R=H, R′=Fc 1, CCFc 2; R=R′=Fc 5), Ru3(μ-H)(μ3-C2CCFc)(μ-dppm)(CO)73, Ru3(μ3-FcC2CCFc)(μ-dppm)(μ-CO)(CO)76 and Ru3{μ3-C4Fc2(CCFc)2}(μ-dppm)(μ-CO)(CO)57 were characterised, including single-crystal structure determinations for 1, 3, 5 and 7; that of 7 did not differ significantly from an earlier study of a mixed CH2Cl2–C6H6 solvate.