Synthesis,stereodynamics, and reactivity of isonitrile derivatives of dodecacarbonyltetrairidium

The reaction of Ir₄₍CO)₁₂ with t-BuNC or MeNC in the presence of trimethylamine oxide in refluxing tetrahydrofuran provides the substituted iridium clusters Ir₄(CO)_12-x(RNC)_x] (χ  14; R  t-Bu, Me). The infrared and ¹³C NMR spectra of these molecules indicate that most of them adopt structures related to Ir₄(CO)₁₂, i.e., they have only terminal carbonyl ligands. The variable temperature ¹³C NMR spectra for Ir₄(CO)₁₁(t-BuNC) establish a carbonyl scrambling process which is the formal inverse of the C_3v→ T_d scrambling mechanism proposed for Rh₄(CO)₁₂. The kinetics of substitution of Ir₄(CO)₁₂ by t-BuNC have been studied. Each substitution step occurs by a ligand-dependent, overall second-order reaction at a rate much greater than for substitution by PPh₃. The observed differences between t-BuNC and PPh₃, can be rationalized on the basis of steric differences between the two ligands.