Bond Trading: Intramolecular Metal and Ligand Exchange within a NO/Ni/Co Complex

With the goal of generating hetero-redox levels on metals as well as on nitric oxide (NO), metallodithiolate (N2S2)Co-III(NO-), N2S2 = N,N- dibenzyl-3,7-diazanonane-1,9-dithiolate, is introduced as ligand to a well-characterized labile [Ni-0(NO)(+)] synthon. The reaction between [Ni-0(NO+)] and [Co-III(NO-)] has led to a remarkable electronic and ligand redistribution to form a heterobimetallic dinitrosyl cobalt [(N2S2)Ni-II center dot Co(NO)(2)](+) complex with formal two electron oxidation state switches concomitant with the nickel extraction or transfer as Ni-II into the N2S2 ligand binding site. To date, this is the first reported heterobimetallic cobalt dinitrosyl complex.