New hydrido co
mplexes of the type [M
2Cp
2(
mages/entities/mgr.gif">-H)(
mages/entities/mgr.gif">-PRR')(CO)
4] (M = Mo, W) have beenprepared through the ther
mal reaction of [Mo
2Cp
2(CO)
6] with HPCy
2, H
2PCy, or HPEt
2 orthe ther
mal reaction of [W
2Cp
2(CO)
4] with HPR
2 (R = Cy, Et, Ph). In contrast, UV irradiationof [M
2Cp
2(CO)
6] and HPRR' leads with good yield to the bis(phosphido) co
mplexes [M
2Cp
2(
mages/entities/mgr.gif">-PRR')
2(
mages/entities/mgr.gif">-CO)] (R = R' = Cy, Et, Ph; R = Cy, R' = H). Related co
mplexes having differentphosphido groups, [M
2Cp
2(
mages/entities/mgr.gif">-PR
2)(
mages/entities/mgr.gif">-PR'R' ')(
mages/entities/mgr.gif">-CO)] (R = Cy,
tBu, Ph; R' = Cy,
tBu, Et; R' ' =Cy,
tBu, Et, H), can be prepared in high yield through the photoche
mical reaction of [M
2Cp
2(
mages/entities/mgr.gif">-PR
2)(
mages/entities/mgr.gif">-H)(CO)
4] and HPR'R' ' or [M
2Cp
2(
mages/entities/mgr.gif">-H)(
mages/entities/mgr.gif">-PR'R' ')(CO)
4] and HPR
2. All triplybonded co
mpounds react easily with carbon
monoxide at roo
m te
mperature or under
moderateheating to finally yield the corresponding
trans-dicarbonyl co
mplexes [M
2Cp
2(
mages/entities/mgr.gif">-PRR')
2(CO)
2]or [M
2Cp
2(
mages/entities/mgr.gif">-PR
2)(
mages/entities/mgr.gif">-PR'R' ')(CO)
2]. So
me of the inter
mediates in these carbonylation reactionshave been identified, including the
cis-dicarbonyl co
mplex [Mo
2Cp
2(
mages/entities/mgr.gif">-PPh
2)(
mages/entities/mgr.gif">-P
tBu
2)(CO)
2]and the tricarbonyl co
mplex [Mo
2Cp
2(
mages/entities/mgr.gif">-PEt
2)
2(CO)
3]. The structures of the new co
mplexesare analyzed on the basis of the corresponding IR and NMR (
1H,
31P,
13C) data, and thereaction pathways operative in these highly efficient syntheses of bis(phosphido) co
mplexesis discussed on the basis of the available data and so
me cross-experi
ments.