Silylene hydride complexes of molybdenum with silicon-hydrogen interactions:: Neutron structure of (η5-C5Me5)(Me2PCH2CH2PMe2)MO(H)(SiEt2)

Reduction of Cp*MoCl4 with 3.1 equiv of Na/Hg amalgam (1.0% w/w) in the presence of 1 equiv of dmpe and 1 equiv of trimethylphosphine afforded the molybdenum(II) chloride complex Cp*(dmpe)(PMe3)MoCl (1) (Cp* = 1,2,3,4,5-pentamethylcyclopentadienyl, dmpe = 1,2-bis(dimethylphosphino)ethane). Alkylation of 1 with PhCH2MgCl proceeded in high yield to liberate PMe3 and give the 18-electron z-benzyl complex Cp*(dmpe)Mo(eta(3)-CH2Ph) (2). Variable temperature NMR experiments provided evidence that 2 is in equilibrium with its 16-electron eta(1)-benzyl isomer [Cp*(dmpe)Mo(eta(1)-CH2Ph)]. This was further supported by reaction of 2 with CO to yield the carbonyl benzyl complex Cp*(dmpe)(CO)Mo(eta(1)-CH2Ph) (3). Complex 2 was found to react with disubstituted silanes H2SiRR' (RR' = Me-2, Et-2, MePh, and Ph-2) to form toluene and the silylene complexes Cp*(dmpe)Mo(H)(SiRR') (4a: RR = Me-2; 4b: RR' = Et-2; 4c: RR' = MePh; 4d: RR' = Ph-2). Reactions of 2 with monosubstituted silanes H3SiR (R = Ph, Mes, Mes = 2,4,6-trimethylphenyl) produced rare examples of hydrosilylene complexes Cp*(dmpe)Mo(H)Si(H)R (5a: R = Ph; 5b: R = Mes; 5c: R = CH2Ph). Reactivity of complexes 4a-c and 5a-d is dominated by 1,2-hydride migration from metal to silicon, and these complexes possess (HSi)-Si-... bonding interactions, as supported by spectroscopic and structural data. For example, the J(HSi) coupling constants in these species range in value from 30 to 48 Hz and are larger than would be expected in the absence of (HSi)-Si-... bonding. A neutron diffraction study on a single crystal of diethylsilylene complex 4b unequivocally determined the hydride ligand to be in a bridging position across the molybdenum-silicon bond (Mo-H 1.85(1) Angstrom, Si-H 1.68(1) A). The synthesis and reactivity properties of these complexes are described in detail.