One-pot synthesis of sulphur bridged dinuclear rhenium metallacycles via addition of S–S bond across Re–Re bond

Oxidative addition of diaryl disulphides RSSR to low-valent transition metal carbonyl Re2(CO)10 with monodendate pyridine ligands bring forth novel sulphur bridged neutral dinuclear rhenium metallacycles [L(CO)3Re(μ-SR)2Re(CO)3L] (1–9) (L = pyridine ligand, R = aryl group) under one pot reaction conditions. The Metallacycles 1–9 have been characterised by elemental analysis, NMR and IR and absorption spectral analysis. Molecular structures of 4, 8 and 9 were determined by crystallographic analysis and the structural studies reveal that pyridyl groups attached to metal centres exhibit cis conformation.