Antiferromagnetic complexes involving metal---metal bonds III. Synthesis, structure and magnetic properties of heterotrinuclear complexes of the type M(CO)5L (M = Cr, Mo and w) containing [(C5H5CrSCMe3)2S] as unusual antiferromagnetic ligand L

Isostructural heterotrinuclear complexes (C₅H₅CrSCMe₃)₂S · M(CO)₅ (II–IV) were isolated from photochemical reactions between the antiferromagnetic complex (C₅H₅CrSCMe₃)₂S (I) (with the Cr---Cr bond 2.689 Å long and with the exchange parameter −2J = 430 cm⁻¹) and metal hexacarbonyls, M(CO)₆, where M is Cr, Mo, or W. According to the X-ray structural data on III and IV, complex I plays the role of an unusual antiferromagnetic ligand L bound to M through the sulphide bridge (M–S 2.58(2) Å). Its geometry remains practically unaffected by the complex formation (the Cr---Cr bond length in III and IV is 2.73(1) Å). The exchange parameter, −2J (410, 440 and 440 cm⁻¹ in II to IV, respectively), also shifts only insignificantly from that of I, which probably means that indirect exchange via the sulphide bridge in I is of minor importance compared with the direct Cr---Cr exchange. The Cr---Cr bond length may thus be correlated with the observed overall exchange coupling.