Crystal structure of the tetramethyl(phenethyl)cyclopentadienylmolybdenumtricarbonyl dimer

Abstract

The structure of the dimer bis{tricarbonyl[η5-tetramethyl(phenethyl)cyclopentadienyl]molybdenum}(Mo—Mo), [Mo2(C17H21)2(CO)6], at 102 K has triclinic (P\overline{1}) symmetry. The reaction between tetramethyl(phenethyl)cyclopentadiene and molybdenum hexacarbonyl in refluxing xylenes for 18 h led to a 56% yield of the dimer as a red solid. The asymmetric unit of the structure is the tetramethyl(phenethyl)cyclopentadienylmolybdenumtricarbonyl moiety and the entire dimeric molecule is generated by inversion symmetry. The Mo—Mo bond length is 3.2773 (3) Å, a value slightly above the mean value for all [CpMo(CO)3]2 compounds listed in the CSD and slightly below the mean for [Cp*Mo(CO)3]2 complexes.

Keywords

• crystal structure
• metal dimer
• cyclopentadienyl ligand
• carbonyl complex
• molybdenum