Trinuclear Metal Clusters with Three Different Metal Atoms from the Insertion of CpCo and Cp*Rh Groups into the S–S Bonds of [CpFeMn(CO)5(μ-S2)]2†

Two cobalt containing products CpCoMn2(CO)6(μ3-S)2, 2 and Cp2FeCoMn(CO)3(μ3-S)2, 3 were obtained from the reaction of [CpFeMn(CO)5(μ-S2)]2, 1 with CpCo(CO)2 at room temperature. The two rhodium containing products: Cp*RhMn2(CO)6(μ3-S)2, 4 (11% yield) and CpFeCp*RhMn(CO)3(μ3-S)2, 5 (9% yield), were obtained from the reaction of 1 with Cp*Rh(CO)2. Compounds 3 and 5 were characterized structurally by single crystal X-ray diffraction methods. Compounds 3 and 5 both contain triangular clusters of three different types of metal atoms and have triply bridging sulfido ligands on each side of the cluster. A mechanism for their formation from 1 is proposed.