Electron transfer versus nucleophilic pathways in the ion-pair annihilation of organoborate anions by carbonylmanganese(I) cations

Substituted carbonylmanganese cations Mn(CO)₅L]⁺, where L=py, PPh₃ and PPh₂Me, readily react with various organoborate anions (tetramethylborate, methyltriphenylborate and tetraphenylborate) in THF solution to afford a mixture of dimanganese carbonyls, hydridomanganese carbonyls and alkylmanganese carbonyls. The formation of the dimanganese carbonyl dimers as well as the hydridomanganese carbonyls suggests the involvement of 19-electron carbonylmanganese radicals that stem from an initial electron transfer. On the other hand, the acetonitrile-substituted analogue Mn(CO)₅(CH₃CN)]⁺ reacts with the same borate anions to afford the alkylated RMn(CO)₅, where R=CH₃ and C₆H₅, as the sole carbonylmanganese product. As such, this alkylative annihilation is best formulated as a direct attack on the carbonyl carbon by the borate nucleophile. The two different pathways can be understood in terms of the balance between the electrophilicity of the carbonyl ligand and the electron affinity of the carbonylmanganese cation.