Decacarbonyldihydridotriosmium is an
organoosmium compound with the formula H
2Os
3(CO)
10. This purple-violet
crystalline
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macros ...
air-stable cluster is noteworthy because it is
electron-deficient and hence adds a variety of substrates.
Structure and synthesis
The trinuclear cluster features an isosceles triangular array of metals with one short edge (''r''
Os-Os = 2.68 Å), which is spanned by the two hydride ligands, and two longer edges (r
Os-Os = 2.81 Å). It can be described as Os(CO)
4 s(CO)3(μ-H)sub>2. The bonding in the Os
2H
2 subunit has been compared to the
3-center, 2e bonding in diborane. It is prepared by purging a solution of
Os3(CO)12 in
octane (or other inert solvent of similar boiling point) with
H2.
:Os
3(CO)
12 + H
2 → Os
3H
2(CO)
10 + 2 CO
Reactions
The cluster reacts with a wide range of reagents under mild conditions. Illustrative is its reaction with
diazomethane
Diazomethane is the chemical compound CH2N2, discovered by German chemist Hans von Pechmann in 1894. It is the simplest diazo compound. In the pure form at room temperature, it is an extremely sensitive explosive yellow gas; thus, it is almost ...
to give Os
3(CO)
10(μ-H)(μ-CH
3), exhibiting an
agostic interaction
In organometallic chemistry, agostic interaction refers to the interaction of a coordinatively-unsaturated transition metal with a C−H bond, when the two electrons involved in the C−H bond enter the empty d-orbital of the transition metal, r ...
, the first identified in a metal cluster.
References
{{Osmium compounds
Organoosmium compounds
Carbonyl complexes