Synthesis and characterization of the substituted products from the reaction of a bulky phosphite with [Os3(CO)12]

Reaction of (acetonitrile)-undeca(carbonyl)-tri-osmium and tris(2,4-di-tert-butylphenyl) phosphite yielded the phosphite clusters Os₃(CO)₁₁L] (4) and Os₃(CO)₁₀L₂] (5) L = P(O-2,4- ^t Bu₂C₆H₃)₃]. These compounds were characterized spectroscopically and the molecular structure of 5 was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction, the first reported structural analysis of a tri-osmium cluster containing aromatic phosphite ligands. Compound 5 crystallized in the triclinic space group P 1, and revealed an equatorial trans–trans position of the bulky phosphite ligands.