Synthesis and characterization of novel fluorophosphazene-derived cobaltacyclopentadienyl metallacycles: reagents for assembly of aryl-bridged fluorophosphazenes

Reaction of (beta-phenylethynyl)pentafluorocyclotriphosphazene, F5P3N3C identical with CPh, with in situ generated eta5-(MeOC(O)C5H4)Co(PPh3)2 resulted in the formation of two isomers of cobaltacyclopentadienylmetallacycles, (eta(5)-carbomethoxycyclopentadienyl)(triphenylphosphine)-2,5-bis(pentafluorocyclotriphosphazenyl)-3,4-diphenyl cobaltacyclopentadiene (1) and (eta5-carbomethoxycyclopentadienyl)(triphenylphosphine)-2,4-bis(pentafluorocyclotriphosphazenyl)-3,5-diphenyl cobaltacyclopentadiene (2), along with the sandwich compound eta5-carbomethoxycyclopentadienyl]-eta4-1,3-bis(pentafluorocyclotriphosphazenyl)-2,4-diphenylcyclobutadiene]cobalt (3). Formation of cobaltacyclopentadienylmetallacycles or cyclobutadienylmetallocene having two fluorophosphazene units on vicinal carbon atoms of the rings was not observed in this reaction. Reaction of 1 with diphenylacetylene resulted in the formation of a novel aryl-bridged fluorophosphazene, 1,4-bis(pentafluorocyclotriphosphazenyl)-2,3,5,6-tetraphenyl benzene (4), and the conversion of cobaltametallacycle to the sandwich compound, eta5-(MeOC(O)C5H4]Co(eta4-C4Ph4) (5). Reaction of 1 with phenylacetylene resulted in the formation of aryl-bridged fluorophosphazene, 1,4-bis(pentafluorophosphazenyl)-2,3,5,-triphenyl benzene (6). New compounds 1-4 were structurally characterized. In compound 1, the two fluorophosphazene units were oriented in gauche form with respect to each other. However, in compounds 2 and 3, they were eclipsed to each other, and in compound 4, they were oriented anti to each other.