The ubiquitous cyclopentadienyl (Cp) ligand and its derivatives have found numerous applications in fundamental and applied organometallic chemistry. By formally breaking a C-C bond in the Cp ligand, a pentadienyl ligand, often referred to as �open Cp�, is obtained. This class of ligands has some unique properties, e.g. ?1, ?3 and ?5 bonding modes are often easier accessible. However, it was noted that the interconversion between different bonding modes appears to be more facile for heteropentadienyl ligands due to a relatively weak C-X pi-bond. We have now applied the concept of the indenyl effect to the pentadienyl chemistry and have developed a novel open indenyl ligand (oIndMe). Corresponding complexes of ruthenium and iron have shown that this ligand can switch its hapticity significantly more facile than corresponding heteropentadienyl or �normal� pentadienyl ligands usually do. For instance, reaction of [(?5-C5Me5)Fe(?5-oIndMe)] with CO at room-temperature results within minutes in syn-[(?5-C5Me5)Fe(?3-oIndMe)(CO)], and the kinetic of its slow isomerization to the anti-isomer was studied by NMR spectroscopy. Furthermore, the ?1 coordination mode of oIndMe was also observed.

Open indenyl: Introducing the indenyl effect to the pentadienyl chemistry

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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