Oxidation of molybdocene dihydride by molecular and ionic complexes of iron(3) and copper(2) chlorides

Interaction of (η5-C5H4R)2MoH2 (R = H, CH3) with FeCl3 in tetrahydrofuran (THF) or in its solutions with an equimolar addition 15-crown-5, which results in reduction of Fe(3) to Fe(2), is studied. It is shown that depending on the order of reagent mixing the redox process runs with evolution of H2 (in excess of Cp2MoH2) or HCl (in the excess of FeCl3). In all cases Cp2MoCl2, 2FeCl2 · 3THF, and in the presence of 15-crown-5 - FeCl2 · (15-crown-5) are separated as final products and identified by methods of element and X-ray analyses, IR and Moessbauer spectroscopy. The reaction of the excess of molybdocene dihydride with CuCl2 in acetonitrile, as a result of which there occurs reduction of Cu(2) to Cu(1) and formation of a complex having the composition [(Cp2MoH2)2(CuCl)2], is studied