One-pot synthesis of sulphur-bridged rhenium containing molecular cubanes: Spectroscopic and structural characterisation

Sulphur-bridged rhenium(I) based molecular cubanes [Re-4(CO)(12)(mu(3)-SR)(4)] (1, R = C4H9; 2, R = C6H5; 3, R = C6H4CH3; 4, R = CH2C6H5) have been synthesised in one-pot reaction via oxidative addition of dialkyl/diaryl disulphide, RSSR to low valent transition metal carbonyl, Re-2(CO)(10) with catalytic amount of dimethyl formamide. The molecular cubanes 1-4 have been characterised by elemental analysis, NMR, IR and UV-Vis absorption spectroscopic techniques. The molecular structures of 2 and 4 were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis and the structural studies ascertain the presence of Re4S4 distorted cube. The synthetic strategy offers a simple route for preparation of the class of sulphur-bridged Re(I) based molecular cubanes. (c) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.