Carbonylmolybdenum complexes with di(imino)pyridine and related ligands: Reduction of a di(imino)pyridine to an aminoiminopyridine system under mild conditions

The reactions of Mo(CO)₆] towards a 2,6-di(imino)pyridine L¹ and related ligands were studied. The reaction with L¹ afforded two new complexes, Mo(CO)₄L¹] (1) and Mo(CO)₄L²] (2), where L² is the 2-amino-6-iminopyridine ligand arising from the hydrogenation of one imine function of L¹; similar reaction with a 2-acetyl-6-iminopyridine ligand L³ afforded Mo(CO)₄L³] (3). Compounds 1, 2 and 3 have been fully characterised by IR, ¹H NMR and X-ray crystallography; they present a metal ion in a pseudo-octahedral environment, the three organic ligands acting with bidentate N₂ coordination modes. One of the imine functions in 1, the amine function in 2, and the ketone function in 3 are uncoordinated.