Triphenylarsine derivatives of cyclopentadienyl-molybdenum carbonyls

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/0022-328X(88)80275-4

C5H5Mo(CO)2AsPh3Cl (I) reacts with benzonitrile in the presence of AlCl3 to form ⁺AlCl4^-, which has been isolated as the PF6^- salt II.Reaction of this ionic complex with n-butyllithium did not yield a methyleneamine complex by nucleophilic attack at the coordinated nitrile, but gave a mixture of 2 (III) and (C5H5)2Mo2(CO)5(AsPh3) (IV).When dichloromethane was used to extract the crude mixture, C5H5Mo(CO)2(AsPh3)Cl was an additional product.The outcome of the reaction is rationalised in terms of initial formation of III, which was shown separately to be formed with C5H5Mo(CO)3Cl from IV.When a solution of III was heated or III was reduced with sodium amalgam or lithium methoxide IV was formed together with carbonylfree decomposition products.IV was formed to reacts with dichloromethane to form I and C5H5Mo(CO)3Cl.