The use of half-sandwich iridium dithiolate and diselenolate complexes, Cp*Ir(L)(ER)(2) (L = CO, PMe3, PPh3; ER = SPh, SePh, SeMe), for the synthesis of heterodimetallic compounds. The molecular structure of Cp*Ir(CO)(mu-SePh)(2)[Mo(CO)(4)]

Carbonyl-iridium half-sandwich compounds, Cp*Ir(CO)(EPh)(2) (E = S, Se), were prepared by the photo-induced reaction of Cp*Ir(CO)(2) with the diphenyl dichalcogenides, E2Ph2, and used as neutral chelating ligands in carbonylmetal complexes such as Cp*Ir(CO)(mu-EPh)(2)[Cr(CO)(4)], Cp*Ir(CO)(mu-EPh)(2)[Mo(CO)(4)] and Cp*Ir(CO)(mu-EPh)(2)[Fe(CO)(3)], respectively. A trimethylphosphane - iridium analogue, Cp*Ir(PMe3)(mu-SeMe)(2)[Cr(CO)(4)], was also obtained. The new heterodimetallic complexes were characterized by IR and NMR spectroscopy, and the molecular geometry of Cp*Ir(CO)(mu-SePh)(2)[Mo(CO)(4)] has been determined by a single crystal X-ray structure analysis. According to the long Ir...Mo distance (395.3(1) Angstrom), direct metal-metal interactions appear to be absent. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.