An unprecedented dinuclear alkylrhodium(III) complex built up by two 14-electron [RhCl2(alkyl)(PR3)] units

Reaction of HCl with [RhCl(C2H4)(PR3)]2 affords the dinuclear alkylrhodium(III) complex [RhCl2(C2H5)(PR3)]2, the structure of which has been determined crystallographically. PR3 is the formerly unknown trialkyl phosphine tBu2PCH2CH2C6H3-2,6-Me2, prepared in three steps from tBuPCl2. Treatment of the title compound with CO gives the mononuclear rhodium dicarbonyl cis-[RhCl(CO)2(PR3)], being the first fully characterized complex of this type.