Facile formation of a heterobimetallic cluster with a cubane-like [Mo3S4Cu]5+ core

Reaction of the cluster salt [(η5-Cp′)3Mo3S4][pts] ([1][pts], Cp′=methylcyclopentadienyl; pts=p-toluenesulfonate) with CuCl yielded a new heterobimetallic cluster, [(η5-Cp′)3Mo3S4Cu(Cl)][pts] ([2][pts]). X-ray crystal structure determination of [1][pts] and [2][pts] showed that the incorporation of CuCl into the Mo3S4 cluster core has only minor consequences on the Mo–Mo and Mo–S distances. The metal atoms in the cluster core of [2]+ form an almost regular tetrahedron. The [2]+ cation conforms to an idealized C3v symmetry ignoring the Cp′ groups since the Cu–Cl bond is almost aligned with the axis defined by the Cu–S(4) cube diagonal.