Dirhenium carbonyl complexes bearing 2-vinylpyridine, morpholine and 1-methylimidazole ligands

Treatment of the labile compound [Re2(CO)8(MeCN)2] with 2-vinylpyridine in refluxing benzene affords exclusively the new compound [Re2(CO)8(μ-η1:η2-NC5H4CHdouble bond; length as m-dashCH2)] (1) in 39% yield in which the μ-η1:η2-vinylpyridine ligand is coordinated to one Re atom through the nitrogen and to the other Re atom via the olefinic double bond. Reaction of [Re2(CO)8(MeCN)2] with morpholine in refluxing benzene furnishes two compounds, [Re2(CO)9(η1-NC4H9O)] (2) and [Re2(CO)8(η1-NC4H9O)2] (3) in 5% and 29% yields, respectively. Reaction of [Re2(CO)8(MeCN)2] with 1-methylimidazole gives [Re2(CO)8{η1-NC3H3N(CH3)}2] (4) and the mononuclear compound fac-[ReCl(CO)3{η1-NC3H3N(CH3)}2] (5) in 18% and 26% yields, respectively. In the disubstituted compounds 2 and 4, the heterocyclic ligands occupy equatorial coordination sites. The mononuclear compound 5 consists of three CO groups, two N coordinated η1-1-methylimidazole ligands and a terminal Cl ligand. The XRD structures of complexes 1, 3 and 5 are reported.