From a P4 butterfly scaffold to cyclo- and catena-P4 units

Abstract

The reactivity of [{Cp′′′Fe(CO)₂}₂(μ,η^1 : 1-P₄)] (1) towards half-sandwich complexes of Ru(II), Rh(III), and Ir(III) is studied. The coordination of these Lewis acids leads to a rearrangement of the P₄ butterfly unit to form complexes with either an aromatic cyclo-P₄R₂ unit (R = Cp′′′Fe(CO)₂) or a catena-tetraphosphaene entity.