Novel Routes to Heteronuclear Metal Clusters Containing Rhodium

Logical methods for preparing small metal clusters with heteronuclear metal-metal bonds can be devised by appreciating the isolobal relationships that exist between certain metal ligand combinations and organic fragments. Thus the group W(CO)₂(eta -C₅H₅) has frontier orbitals of similar pattern to those of CH, while those of Rh(CO)(eta -C₅Me₅) and CH₂ are also similar. This paper shows how such ideas have been employed to generate compounds with bonds between rhodium and other metals.