Intramolecular Dynamics of Tetranuclear Iridium Carbonyl Cluster Compounds. Part IV. Derivatives with monodentate ligands and edge-bridging bidentate ligands

The fluxionality of Ir₄(CO)₈(μ₂-CO)₃L] (L = Br^?, I^?, SCN^?, NO₂^?, P(4-ClC₆H₄)₃, PPh₃, P(4-MeOC₆H₄)₃, P(4-Me₂NC₆H₄)₃), as studied by 2D-¹³C-NMR in solution, is due to two successive scrambling processes: the merry-go-round of six basal CO's and CO bridging to alternative faces of the Ir₄ tetrahedron. The basicity of the ligand L has no significant effect on the activation parameters. The scrambling process of lowest activation energy in Ir₄(CO)₇(μ₂-CO)₃(PMePh₂)₂] correspond to the two possible synchronous CO bridging about a unique face of the metal tetrahedron swapping the relative axial and radial positions of the ligands L. The disubstituted clusters Ir₄(CO)₁₀(μ₂-L? L)] with one edge-bridging ligand have a ground-state geometry with three edge-bridging CO's (L? L = bis(diphenylphosphino)methane, bis(diphenylarsino)methane, bis(diphenylphosphino)propane) or with all terminal CO's (L? L = CH₃SCH₂SCH₃). In all cases, the fluxional process of lowest activation energy in the merry-go-round of six CO's about a unique triangular face. For the P and As donor ligands, this process is followed by the rotation of terminal CO's bonded to two Ir-atoms residing on the mirror plane of the unbridged intermediate.