A dihydrogen bond between a bridging hydride and the NH proton of a coordinated dimethylamine: solid state, solution and theoretical characterization

The addition of one equivalent of dimethylamine (DMA) to the 44 valence-electron triangular cluster anion [Re3(μ3-H)(μ-H)3(CO)9]− (1) affords the novel unsaturated derivative [Re3(μ-H)4(CO)9(DMA)]− (2, 46 valence electrons) which contains a dimethylamine molecule terminally coordinated to a cluster vertex. Theoretical calculations (DFT) reveal that in the more stable conformation the dimethylamine NH proton is directed towards the hydride bridging the opposite cluster edge in syn position, the close proximity of the ligands bound to the cluster surface allowing the formation of an unconventional N–H ⋯ (μ-H)Re2 hydrogen bond. The presence of this conformation in the solid state has been proven by an X-ray structural analysis of crystalline [PPh4]2. Spectroscopic evidences (IR and NMR) indicate that the dihydrogen bond is maintained also in solution and, by the evaluation of the proton spin-lattice relaxation rates at variable temperature, a good estimate of the H ⋯ H distance in solution has been determined.