Triruthenium cluster complexes of C60 and C70: carbonyl site exchange probed via triphenylphosphine ligand derivatives

Carbon NMR data obtained for the fullerene complexes Ru3(CO)9(μ3-η2, η2, η2-C60) (1) and Ru3(CO)9(μ3-η2, η2, η2-C70) (2) suggest the operation of fluxional processes. Triphenylphosphine-substituted derivatives of 1 and 2 have been prepared by heating the fullerene complex with PPh3 in chlorobenzene at 130°C for a brief period. The individual mono- and disubstituted derivatives have been purified by thin-layer chromatography and identified by their infrared and FAB mass spectra, and their dynamic behavior has been probed by 31P- and 13C-NMR spectroscopy. Restricted three-fold rotations at each metal center are indicated for these derivatives.