Post-coordination backbone functionalization of an imidazol-2-ylidene and its application to synthesize heteropolymetallic complexes incorporating the ambidentate IMesCO2- ligand

Backbone functionalization of the pre-coordinated, emblematic IMes ligand with the COOH moiety was achieved upon treatment of Cp(CO)(2)Mn(IMes) with n-BuLi followed by CO2 and HCl to afford Cp(CO)(2)Mn(IMes(COOH)). The latter reacts with (1,10-phen)M(OAc)(2) (M = Cu, Zn) to obtain M3Mn4 polymetallic complexes exhibiting the ambidentate IMes(CO2-) moiety as a key structural unit.