η⁶-Indene- and η⁵-indole-(pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)-rhodium(III) and -iridium(III) hexafluorophosphates and their reversible deprotonation and rearrangement reactions to η⁵-indenyl- and η⁵-indolyl-complexes

Abstract

The preparations of [M(η5-C5Me5)(η6-indene)](PF6)2, (II), [M(η5-C5Me5)(η5-indenyl)](PF6),(III),[M(η5-C5Me5)(η5-indole)](PF6)2(M = Rh or Ir), and [Ir(η5-C5Me5)(η5-indolyl)]PF6 are reported; in the interconversion (III)+ H+⇌(II), for M = Ir protonation-deprotonation is fast and the rate-determining step is the movement of the metal from the 5- to the 6-membered ring and vice-versa.