Some chiral alkyne-cobalt complexes

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/0022-328X(91)80250-N

The trimethyl phosphite substituted pentacarbonylpropargyldicobalt cation, <(CH<*>CCH2)Co2(CO)5L>⁺ , is significantly more stable than its phosphine analogues (L = PPh3, PBu3), and has been converted to a series of ethers, (CH<*>CCH2OR)Co(CO)5L.Reaction of the (cholesteryl propargyl ether)hexacarbonyldicobalt complex with trimethyl phosphite proceeds without stereoselectivity, and the product suffers metal-carbon rather than oxygen-carbon cleavage on treatment with acid.