Stepwise assembly of mixed metal dinuclear carbonyl complexes

The one-pot/three-step solution synthesis of a library of nine directional, dinuclear mixed-metal complexes composed of different metal-carbonyl units (M = Cr, Mo, W) and a bifunctional bridging isocyanide Schiff-base ligand is described. The well-defined metal sequence in these complexes with Cr, Mo, and W in two positions can be determined post-synthesis by a combination of spectroscopic methods. ((C) Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2003).