ACETYL TRANSFER BETWEEN MANGANESE AND IRON COMPLEXES: REACTION OF ACETYLPENTACARBONYLMANGANESE WITH DICARBONYLCYCLOPENTADIENYLIRON(0)

Abstract

Reaction of Mn(CO)₅(C(O)Me) with CpFe(CO)₂ ^? results in CpFe(CO)₂Me, Cp₂Fe₂(CO)₄ and Mn(CO)₅ ^? in less than five minutes at room temperature. Labeling the carbonyl of the acetyl puts the label only on a carbonyl of the CpFe(CO)₂Me. Thus the acetyl is transferred from the manganese to the iron as a group, before CO dissociation leads to the methyl product. CO dissociation from CpFe(CO)₂(C(O)Me) does not occur under the experimental conditions. A scheme is suggested to accommodate these observations.