Reactions of pyridine-2-ethyl/methyl cyclopentadienes with metal carbonyls

Abstract

Thermal treatment of pyridine-2-ethyl cyclopentadiene (1) with Fe(CO)₅ and Ru₃(CO)₁₂ gave novel intramolecular C–H activated dinuclear products (3 and 5). In the case of Fe(CO)₅, the reaction also afforded the normal bis(cyclopentadienyl) diiron complex (4). However, similar reaction of pyridine-2-methyl cyclopentadiene (2) with Fe(CO)₅ and Ru₃(CO)₁₂ only afforded the normal bis(cyclopentadienyl) dinuclear metal complexes (7 and 8). For Ru₃(CO)₁₂, the reaction also yielded a pendant η¹-pyridyl-coordinated product (9). In addition, the reactions of 1 and 2 with Re₂(CO)₁₀ formed the corresponding pyridylethyl/pyridylmethyl cyclopentadienyl rhenium tricarbonyl complexes 10 and 11, which further underwent pyridine to rhenium cyclization via photoirradiation to provide the rhenium dicarbonyl complexes 12 and 13. The molecular structures of 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 12 were determined by X-ray diffraction.