Pincer ligand coordination at a triosmium cluster: X-ray structures of 1,2-Os3(CO)10[4,6-bis(diphenylphosphinomethyl)-m-xylene] and 1,2-Os3(CO)10[1-diphenylphosphino-1-{(2,4-dimethyl-5-diphenylphosphinomethyl)phenyl}-propan-2-ol]

The reaction between the triosmium cluster 1,2-Os3(CO)10(MeCN)2 and the diphosphine pincer ligand 4,6-bis(diphenylphosphinomethyl)-m-xylene (dppx) has been examined and found to yield the pincer-bridged cluster 1,2-Os3(CO)10(dppx) (2) as the major product, in addition to the pincer-bridged cluster 1,2-Os3(CO)10[1-diphenylphosphino-1-{(2,4-dimethyl-5-diphenylphosphinomethyl)phenyl}-propan-2-ol] (3) in trace amounts (<2% yield). Both cluster products have been isolated and their molecular structures determined by crystallographic analyses. The structural highlights of compounds 2 and 3, which represent the first examples of pincer-ligated metal clusters, are discussed. The origin of the functionalized diphosphine ligand in 3 is traced to the ethanol solvent that was used in the recrystallization of the dppx ligand.