Catalyst design. The activation of a trinuclear metal cluster complex by metal atom substitution

Investigations of the compound Mo/sub 2/(CO)/sub 4/(C/sub 5/H/sub 5/)/sub 2/ have shown that it will react with alkynes to give products formed by the addition and coupling of two, three, and four alkyne molecules at the dimolybdenum center. The authors have investigated the reaction of Ru/sub 3/(CO)/sub 9/(..mu../sub 3/-CO)(..mu../sub 3/-S) with HC/sub 2/Ph under similar conditions and have found that the reaction terminates with the introduction of one HC/sub 2/Ph unit. They have now investigated the reactivity of the heteronuclear cluster Mo/sub 2/Ru(CO)/sub 7/(C/sub 5/H/sub 5/)/sub 2/(..mu../sub 3/-S) (1) formed by the substitution of two ruthenium carbonyl units in Ru/sub 3/(CO)/sub 9/(..mu../sub 3/-S) by two cyclopentadienyl molybdenum carbonyl units, with HC/sub 2/Ph, and have found that the trinuclear center in 2 is active toward HC/sub 2/Ph oligomerization. Details of this study are described in this report.