Competition studies on the activation of the C-H bond of diazines by the unsaturated triangular cluster anion [Re3(μ-H) 4(CO)10]

The reactions of the unsaturated cluster anion [Re3(μ-H) 4(CO)10]- (1) with 1,2-, 1,3- and 1,4-diazines (used as solvents) have been investigated. The reaction with 1,2-diazine at room temperature gives quantitatively the anion [Re3(μ-H) 2(μ-η2-N2C4H 4)(CO)10]- (3), containing a diazine bridging through the two N atoms, characterised by single crystal X-ray analysis. The orthometallated isomer [Re3(μ-H)3(μ-η 2-N2C4H3)(CO)10] - (4) was obtained by refluxing 3 in toluene. The reaction of [NEt4]1 in molten 1,4-diazine (60°C) affords the anion [Re 3(μ-H)3(μ-η2-N2C 4H3)(CO)10]- (5), containing orthometallated pyrazine. The slow reaction of [NEt4]1 with 1,3-diazine at room temperature gives two orthometallated isomers 6, corresponding to the metallation of carbon C2 (6a) and C6 (6b), respectively (6b/6a ratio ca. 1.2). Differently from what previously found for the analogous cluster anion containing orthometallated pyridine, the metallation reaction of diazines showed little reversibility, and poor conversion of 5 and 6 to the starting anion 1 was observed after several days under 100 atm of H 2. Competition experiments, performed by dissolving [NEt 4]1 in equimolar mixtures of pyridine/pyrazine or pyridine/pyrimidine, showed that the anion with metallated pyridine was the kinetically preferred product and that at longer times it slowly converted to the derivatives with metallated diazines (5 or 6). © 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.