Mixed bis(μ-silylene) and (μ-silylene)/(μ-germylene) complexes involving the Rh/Ir metal combination: nature of the Si···Si interactions in the bis(μ-silylene) species.

A series of mixed bis(μ-silylene) complexes of rhodium and iridium [RhIr(CO)(2)(μ-SiHR)(μ-SiR(1)R(2))(dppm)(2)] (R = R(1) = R(2) = Ph (4); R = R(1) = Ph, R(2) = Cl (5); R = R(1) = Ph, R(2) = Me (6); R = 3,5-C(6)H(3)F(2), R(1) = Ph, R(2) = Me (7); R = 3,5-C(6)H(3)F(2), R(1) = 2,4,6-C(6)H(2)Me(3), R(2) = H (8)) have been synthesized by the reaction of the silylene-bridged dihydride complexes, [RhIr(H)(2)(CO)(2)(μ-SiHR)(dppm)(2)] (1, R = Ph; 2, R = C(6)H(3)F(2)), with a number of secondary or primary silanes (Ph(2)SiH(2), PhClSiH(2), PhMeSiH(2), C(6)H(2)Me(3)SiH(3)). The influence of substituents and π-stacking interactions on the Si···Si distance (determined by X-ray crystallography) in this series and the implications regarding the nature of the Si···Si interactions are discussed. A series of novel (μ-silylene)/(μ-germylene) complexes, [RhIr(CO)(2)(μ-SiHPh)(μ-GePh(2))(dppm)(2)] (9) and [RhIr(CO)(2)(μ-SiR(1)R(2))(μ-GeHPh)(dppm)(2)] (R(1) = Ph, R(2) = H (11); R(1) = R(2) = Ph (12); R(1) = Ph, R(2) = Me (13)), have also been synthesized by reaction of the silylene-bridged dihydride complex, [RhIr(H)(2)(CO)(2)(μ-SiHPh)(dppm)(2)] (1), with 1 equiv of diphenylgermane and by reaction of the germylene-bridged dihydride complex, [RhIr(H)(2)(CO)(2)(μ-GeHPh)(dppm)(2)] (3), with 1 equiv of the respective silanes. These complexes have been characterized by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography.