A stable carbonyl–pyrazine–metal(0) complex: Synthesis and characterization of cis-tetracarbonylpyrazinetrimethylphosphitetungsten(0)

Pentacarbonylpyrazinetungsten(0), (CO)5W(pyz), is not stable in solution in polar solvents such as acetone or dichloromethane and undergoes conversion to a bimetallic complex, (CO)5W(pyz)W(CO)5 plus free pyrazine. These three species exist at equilibrium. Using the quantitative 1H NMR spectroscopy, the equilibrium constant could be determined to be Keq = (5.9 ± 0.8) × 10−2 at 25 °C. Introducing a second pyrazine ligand into the molecule does not stabilize the complex, as cis-W(CO)4(pyz)2 was found to be less stable than W(CO)5(pyz) and, therefore, could not be isolated. However, introducing trimethylphosphite as a donor ligand into the complex leads to the stabilization of the carbonyl–pyrazine–metal(0) complexes, as shown by the synthesis of cis-W(CO)4[P(OCH3)3](pyz). This complex could be isolated from the reaction of the photogenerated W(CO)4[P(OCH3)3](tetrahydrofuran) with trimethylphosphite upon mixing for 2 h at 10 °C in tetrahydrofuran and characterized by elemental analysis, IR, MS, 1H, 13C, and 31P NMR spectroscopy.