The reaction of H₂Os₃(CO)₁₀ with trifluoroacetonitrile and the x-ray crystal structure of HOs₃(CO)₉(μ₃-η²-HNCCF ₃)

The reaction of H₂Os₃(CO)₁₀ with CF₃CN in hexane at 80°C leads to two isomeric products. The isomer constituting the major product contains a 1,1,1-tri-fluoroethylidenimido ligand which bridges one edge of the Os₃ triangle via the nitrogen, atom and may be formulated as (μ-H)Os₃(CO)₁₀(μ-NC(H)CF₃) (I). The minor product, formulated as (μ-H)Os₃(CO)₁₀(μ-η²-HNCCF ₃) (II), contains a 1,1,1-trifluoroacetimidoyl ligand which is also edge-bridging, being N-bonded to one Os atom and C-bonded to the other. Thermolysis of I and II in solution results in loss of a CO group in each case to give (μ-H)Os₃(CO)_9^- (μ₃-η²-NC(H)CF₃) (III) and (μ-H)Os₃(CO)₉(μ₃-η² -HNCCF₃) (IV), respectively, which, it is proposed, are structurally related to I and II, but with the CN group coordinated also to the third Os atom in place of a CO group. In the case of IV this proposal has been confirmed by an X-ray crystallographic analysis. The compound crystallises in space group C2/c with a = 14.258(7), b = 13.486(10), c = 18.193(8) Å, β = 92.68(4)°, and Z = 8. The structure was solved by a combination of direct methods and Fourier difference techniques, and refined by full-matrix least squares to R = 0.054 for 2489 unique observed diffractometer data. Reaction of I with Et₃P gives a 1 : 2 adduct which is formulated as (μ-H)Os₃(CO)₁₀[μ-N̄C(H)(CF₃) PEt₃] (V) on the basis of NMR evidence.