Tetramethyl(perfluoroalkyl)cyclopentadienyl rhodium(I) complexes with ethylene or diene ligands. Crystal structure of [(η5-C5Me4C6F13)Rh(CO)2]

Tetramethyl(perfluoroalkyl)cyclopentadienyl rhodium(I) complexes with ethylene or diene (norbornadiene, cycloocta-1,5-diene, 2,3-dimethylbuta-1,3-diene, cyclohexa-1,3-diene) ligands were obtained by reduction of tetramethyl(perfluoroalkyl)rhodium(III) dichloro dimers by zinc in THF or by propan-2-ol/sodium carbonate in the presence of the ligands. Reduction in the presence of cycloocta-1,3-diene gave a different product, an eta(3)-cyclooctenyl complex, which was not reduced further. During the reduction in the presence of ethylene, a new tetramethyl(perfluoroalkyl)-eta(4)-cyclopentadiene complex was observed by NMR. This compound, formed by hydrogen transfer from the metal to the ligand, is probably in an equilibrium with the parent hydridocyclopentadienyl complex. Crystal and molecular structure of dicarbonyltetramethyl(perfluorohexyl)cyclopentadienylrhodium(I) complex was determined by X-ray diffraction. The structure shows a moderate ring slippage of the rhodium atom which was not observed in the only other known structure of a complex with the same ligand, the rhodium(III) dichloro dimer. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.