Metal cluster means complexes containing at least three metal atoms bound by metal-metal bonds. A full development of their chemistry has been made since the mid 1960's. This is in part due to a prospect that custer molecules may mimic metal surfaces in the processes of chemisorption and of catalysis. Mixed metal cluster compounds are currently under intense scrutiny as they have a number of advantages over their homo-nuclear counterparts.
Initial decarbonylation of $CpWOs_3(CO)_{11}(μ_3-CTol)$ (1) with $Me_3NO/CH_3CN$ followed by reaction with $HSiEt_3$ gives a hydrido triethyl siloxy complex $CpWOs_3(CO)_9(μ_3-CTol)(OSiEt_3)(μ-H)$ (3), which shows an interesting hydride fluxionality. Decarbonylation of 3 followed with $Me_3NO/CH_3CN$ by reaction with dihydrogen gives a trishydrido complex, $CpWOs_3(CO)_8(μ_3-CTol)(OSiEt_3)(μ-H)_2H$ (4), which includes one terminal and two bridging hydride ligands.
Compound 3,4 and 5 have been isolated as crystalline solids and characterized by spectroscopic (IR, $^1H$ NMR, Mass) data. The structure of 3 has been studied by a single crystal X-ray crystallography.
