Hydrocarbon species (mu)3-CCH2–, (mu)3-CCH3 and (mu)-CHCH3 supported on Ti3O3

Treatment of the (mu)3-ethylidyne complex [{TiCp*((mu)-O)}3((mu)3-CMe)](1), (Cp*=(eta)^5-C5Me5) with alkali metal amides leads to the oxoheterometallocubane derivatives [M((mu)3-O)3{(TiCp*)3((mu)3-CCH2)}] [M = Li (2),Na (3),K (4),Rb (5),Cs (6)] containing the naked carbanion (mu)3-CCH2–; the addition of triphenylmethanol and tert-butanol to the compounds 2–6 gives rise to the oxoderivatives [{TiCp*((mu)-O)}3((mu)-CHMe)(OCR3)][R = Me (7), Ph (8)] which show a (mu)-ethylidene bridge on the surface model Ti3O3.