Chromium-manganese selenide carbonyl complexes: paramagnetic clusters and relevance to C=O activation of acetone

The paramagnetic even-electron cluster, [Et(4)N](2)[Se(2)Cr(3)(CO)(10)], was found to react readily with Mn(CO)(5)Br in acetone to produce two unprecedented mixed chromium-manganese selenide carbonyl complexes, [Et(4)N][Me(2)CSe(2){Mn(CO)(4)}{Cr(CO)(5)}(2)] ([Et(4)N][1]) and [Et(4)N](2)[Se(2)Mn(3)(CO)(10){Cr(CO)(5)}(2)] ([Et(4)N](2)[2]). X-ray crystallographic analysis showed that anion 1 consisted of two Se-Cr(CO)(5) moieties, which were further bridged by one isopropylene group and one Mn(CO)(4) moiety. The dianionic cluster 2 was shown to display a Se(2)Mn(3) square-pyramidal core with each Se atom externally coordinated by one Cr(CO)(5) group. The formation of complex 1, presumably via C=O activation of acetone, was further facilitated by acidification of the reaction of [Et(4)N](2)[Se(2)Cr(3)(CO)(10)] with Mn(CO)(5)Br in acetone. Complex 1 readily transformed into 2 upon treatment with Mn(2)(CO)(10) in a KOH/MeOH/MeCN solution. Cluster 2 was a 51-electron species, which readily converted to the known 49-electron cluster [Se(2)Mn(3)(CO)(9)](2-) upon heating and bubbling with CO. Magnetic studies of the even-electron cluster, [Et(4)N](2)[Se(2)Cr(3)(CO)(10)], and the odd-electron species, [Et(4)N](2)[2] and [PPN](2)[Se(2)Mn(3)(CO)(9)], were determined by the SQUID measurement to have 2, 3, and 1 unpaired electrons, respectively. In addition, the nature and formation of complexes 1 and 2 are discussed, and the magnetic properties and electrochemistry of [Se(2)Cr(3)(CO)(10)](2-), 2, and [Se(2)Mn(3)(CO)(9)](2-) were further studied and elucidated by molecular orbital calculations at the PW91 level of density functional theory.