Different coordination modes of a 1,1′,2,2′-ferrocenyltetraphosphine: Bi- and tri-dentate behaviour with group 6 and 7 transition metals

The behaviour of 1,1′,2,2′-tetrakis(diphenylphosphino)-4,4′-di(tert-butyl)ferrocene (1), acting as a homoannular or heteroannular ligand, has been studied. Due to the cisoid disposition of the phosphino groups of each ring, different coordination modes are observed. With group 6 metal carbonyls, M(CO)6, the tetraphosphine acts exclusively as a tridentate ligand. In contrast, the reaction with MnCp(CO)3 leads to complexes showing 1,1′ and 1,2 bidentate coordination modes. All these complexes have been characterised by 1H and 31P NMR spectroscopy. The molecular structures of the molybdenum complex [(1)Mo(CO)3] (2b) and the 1,1′ manganese complex [(1)MnCp(CO)] (3) have been established by X-ra…