Study of Redox-induced Reactions of Vinylidene and bis-Vinylidene Complexes of Manganese

Oxidative dehydrodimerization of some phenylvinylidene complexes of manganese is studied by cyclic voltammetry. In the case of (⁵-C₅H₅)(CO)₂Mn=C=C(H)Ph, the process occurs as the homolysis of the C–H bond in the radical cation of {(⁵-C₅H₅)(CO)₂Mn=C=C(H)Ph}^+· and the dimerization of intermediate -phenylethinyl cation [(⁵-C₅H₅)(CO)₂Mn–CC–Ph]⁺ to a binuclear dication of bis-carbine type (⁵-C₅H₅)(CO)₂Mn⁺C– C(Ph)=C(Ph)–CMn⁺(CO)₂(⁵-C₅H₅). The reduction of the latter leads to binuclear bis-vinylidene complex (⁵-C₅H₅)(CO)₂Mn=C=C(Ph)–C(Ph)=C=Mn(CO)₂(⁵-C₅H₅). Oxidative dehydrodimerization of complexes (⁵-C₅R₅)(CO)(L)Mn=C=C(H)Ph (R = H, L = PPh₃; R = Me, L = CO) occurs through the immediate C–C coupling of radical cations {(⁵-C₅R₅)(CO)(L)Mn=C=C(H)Ph}^+· and yields binuclear dication bis-carbine complexes (⁵-C₅R₅)(CO)(L)Mn⁺C–C(H)(Ph)–C(H)(Ph)–CMn⁺(CO)(L)(⁵-C₅R₅), whose reduction leads to neutral compounds (⁵-C₅H₅)(CO)₂Mn=C=C(Ph)–C(Ph)=C=Mn(CO)(L)(⁵-C₅H₅). Complex (⁵-C₅H₅)(CO)₂Mn=C=C(Ph)–C(Ph)=C=Mn(CO)₂(⁵-C₅H₅) undergoes the oxidation-induced nucleophilic addition of water, forming cyclic bis-carbene product with a bridge heterocyclic ligand (-3,4-diphenyl-2,5-dihydro-2,5-diylidene)-bis-(⁵-cyclopentadienyldicarbonyl manganese).