A stable carbonyl-pyrazine-metal(0) complex: Synthesis and characterization of cis-tetracarbonylpyrazinetrimethylphosphitetungsten(0)

Pentacarbonylpyrazinetungsten(0), (CO)₅W(pyz), is not stable in solution in polar solvents such as acetone or dichloromethane and undergoes conversion to a bimetallic complex, (CO)₅W(pyz)W(CO)₅ plus free pyrazine. These three species exist at equilibrium. Using the quantitative ¹H NMR spectroscopy, the equilibrium constant could be determined to be K_eq = (5.9 ± 0.8) × 10⁻² at 25 °C. Introducing a second pyrazine ligand into the molecule does not stabilize the complex, as cis-W(CO)₄(pyz)₂ was found to be less stable than W(CO)₅(pyz) and, therefore, could not be isolated. However, introducing trimethylphosphite as a donor ligand into the complex leads to the stabilization of the carbonyl-pyrazine-metal(0) complexes, as shown by the synthesis of cis-W(CO)₄[P(OCH₃)₃](pyz). This complex could be isolated from the reaction of the photogenerated W(CO)₄[P(OCH₃)₃](tetrahydrofuran) with trimethylphosphite upon mixing for 2 h at 10 °C in tetrahydrofuran and characterized by elemental analysis, IR, MS, ¹H, ¹³C, and ³¹P NMR spectroscopy.