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Nickel joins the fairly exclusive list of metals that can activate nitrile C−H bonds. We report the first example of the C−H activation of an acetonitrile ligand on a nickel center. The acetonitrile ligand formally loses a proton and undergoes a sharp flip to give a cyanomethyl ligand that is coordinated to the nickel atom. Structures of an initial N-bound acetonitrile−nickel complex and of a final cyanomethyl−nickel complex are both presented.

Petasis-borono-Mannich reaction, using structurally different aldehydes such as salicylaldehyde, glyoxalic acid and glycoaldehyde is developed.

The ring slippage reaction, induced by ligand addition or by reduction, is an important reaction in organometallic chemistry, and has been theoretically studied in recent years, using ab initio methods, in several systems such as [Mo(r)5-XMn(CO)3] (X can be one among a wide variety of rings), [Mo(r)5-Ind)(CO)2(L)2]+ (L=CO, phosphite), [Mo(r)5-(r)5-Ind)L2)(L2]2+. The slippage process is driven by a tendency to decrease the antibonding character of the HOMO after two electrons are added to the system and, usually, a structural rearrangement of the complex (or the ring) takes place, depending on the characteristics of the polyene in the ring. Larger rings are found to slip more easily, although they don't fold, in opposition to what happens to indenyl in all examples known.

Water was used as the solvent in the Petasis borono-Mannich reaction. With the use of salicylaldehyde, secondary amines and boronic acids, several alkylaminophenols were obtained in considerably high yields in water. By using the same methodology, 2H-chromenes were prepared with the use of vinyl boronic acids. The reaction mechanism was studied by DFT calculations, and the results obtained corroborate the solvent effect experimentally observed. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2009)

The novel (η5-Ind)Mo(η3-Flu)(CO)2 (Ind = indenyl, C9H7; Flu = fluorenyl, C13H9) can be readily prepared from (η5-Ind)MoCl3(CO)2 and LiFlu in toluene (90% yield). X-ray crystallographic studies show an exocyclic η3 coordination for the fluorenyl ligand, which is also predicted from dft calculations.

An efficient new methodology for the arylation of aldehydes is disclosed which uses dirhodium(II) catalysts and N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands. Complexes of Rh-2(OAc)(4) with one and two NHCs attached on the axial positions were successfully isolated, fully characterized, and used as catalysts in the reaction. The saturated monocomplex ((NHC 5)Rh-2(OAc)(4)) 31 was shown to be the most active catalyst and was particularly efficient in the arylation of alkyl aldehydes. DFT calculations support participation of complexes with one axial NHC in the reaction as the catalysts active species and indicate that hydrogen bonds involving dirhodium unit, reactants, and solvent (alcohol) play an important role on the reaction mechanism.

PGSE diffusion, 19F, 1H HOESY and 13C NMR studies for a series of [Ru(Cp*)(eta6-arene)][PF6] (1) salts are presented. The solid-state structure of [Ru(Cp*)(eta6-fluorobenzene)][PF6] (1 c) is reported. The extent of the ion pairing and the relative positions of the ions are shown to depend on the arene. For the solvent dichloromethane, new and literature PGSE data for PF6(-) salts of transition-metal, inorganic, and organic salts are compared. Taken together, these new results show that the charge distribution and the ability of the anion to approach the positively charged positions (steric effects due to molecular shape) are the determining factors in deciding the amount of ion pairing. DFT calculations of the charges in four salts of type 1, as well as in a variety of other salts, using a natural population analysis (NPA), support this view. This represents the first attempt, using experimental data, to understand, correlate, and partially explain the various degrees of ion pairing in a widely different collection of salts.

An efficient new methodology for the arylation of aldehydes is disclosed which uses dirhodium(II) catalysts and N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands. Complexes of Rh-2(OAc)(4) with one and two NHCs attached on the axial positions were successfully isolated, fully characterized, and used as catalysts in the reaction. The saturated monocomplex ((NHC 5)Rh-2(OAc)(4)) 31 was shown to be the most active catalyst and was particularly efficient in the arylation of alkyl aldehydes. DFT calculations support participation of complexes with one axial NHC in the reaction as the catalysts active species and indicate that hydrogen bonds involving dirhodium unit, reactants, and solvent (alcohol) play an important role on the reaction mechanism.

2-Formylpyrrole and 2-acetylpyrrole were deprotonated with NaH to give the corresponding Na salts 1a and 1b, respectively. The reactivity of these salts towards cobalt chloride compounds was studied. The resulting new bis(ketopyrrolyl) Co(II) 19-electron complexes [Co(kappa(2)N,O-2-NC4H3C(R)=O)2(PMe3)2] (R = H 2a, and Me 2b) were characterised by single crystal X-ray diffraction, to show an octahedral geometry with the PMe3 ligands in trans positions to each other, and two bidentate ketopyrrolyl ligands occupying the remaining coordination positions in a transoid conformation. Powder and solution magnetic susceptibility measurements together with EPR and UV/Vis/NIR spectra revealed a low-spin ground state (dz2, S = 1/2) for Co(II) in these compounds. Analysis of the EPR superhyperfine couplings suggested that the longer distances (z axis) of the hexacoordinate Co coordination sphere are occupied by the keto-O atoms of the bidentate ligand, leaving the pyrrolyl N and the phosphine P atoms within the equatorial plane. This is confirmed by means of DFT calculations, which also indicate that the most thermodynamically stable isomers are low-spin (S = 1/2) complexes with coordination geometries corresponding to the molecular structures obtained by X-ray crystallography.

DFT calculations suggest that the catalytic epoxidation of olefins by Mo(vi) complexes, modeled by MoO2Br2(MeN=C(H)-C(H)=NMe), in the presence of MeOOH, the model for tert-butyl hydroperoxide, starts with a hydrogen transfer from the peroxide to one of the terminal Mo=O oxygen atoms and the remaining MeOO anion binds as a seventh ligand, forming a five-membered Mo-O(alpha)-O(beta)(Me)...H-O-Mo ring held together by a hydrogen bond. In the second step, a concerted approach of ethylene to the Mo-O(alpha) bond gives rise to an intermediate containing a seven-membered Mo-C-C-O(alpha)-O(beta)(Me)...H-O-Mo ring. In the final step, decomposition of the intermediate leads to the starting complex, alcohol and the epoxide. The activation energy for the addition of the olefin (second step) is the highest one, in agreement with available kinetic studies showing that the catalyst formation is not always a rate-limiting step. DFT calculations also show that the alcohol by-product (MeOH) can react with the starting complex, competing with ROOH and hence leading to the progressive catalyst poisoning, which has been observed experimentally.

The Schiff base N,N'-ethylenebis(pyridoxylideneiminato) (H(2)pyr(2)en, 1) was synthesized by reaction of pyridoxal with ethylenediamine; reduction of H(2)pyr(2)en with NaBH(4) yielded the reduced Schiff base N,N'-ethylenebis(pyridoxylaminato) (H(2)Rpyr(2)en, 2); their crystal structures were determined by X-ray diffraction. The totally protonated forms of 1 and 2 correspond to H(6)L(4+), and all protonation constants were determined by pH-potentiometric and (1)H NMR titrations. Several vanadium(IV) and vanadium(V) complexes of these and other related ligands were prepared and characterized in solution and in the solid state. The X-ray crystal structure of [V(V)O(2)(HRpyr(2)en)] shows the metal in a distorted octahedral geometry, with the ligand coordinated through the N-amine and O-phenolato moieties, with one of the pyridine-N atoms protonated. Crystals of [(V(V)O(2))(2)(pyren)(2)].2 H(2)O were obtained from solutions containing H(2)pyr(2)en and oxovanadium(IV), where Hpyren is the "half" Schiff base of pyridoxal and ethylenediamine. The complexation of V(IV)O(2+) and V(V)O(2) (+) with H(2)pyr(2)en, H(2)Rpyr(2)en and pyridoxamine in aqueous solution were studied by pH-potentiometry, UV/Vis absorption spectrophotometry, as well as by EPR spectroscopy for the V(IV)O systems and (1)H and (51)V NMR spectroscopy for the V(V)O(2) systems. Very significant differences in the metal-binding abilities of the ligands were found. Both 1 and 2 act as tetradentate ligands. H(2)Rpyr(2)en is stable to hydrolysis and several isomers form in solution, namely cis-trans type complexes with V(IV)O, and alpha-cis- and beta-cis-type complexes with V(V)O(2). The pyridinium-N atoms of the pyridoxal rings do not take part in the coordination but are involved in acid-base reactions that affect the number, type, and relative amount of the isomers of the V(IV)O-H(2)Rpyr(2)en and V(V)O(2)-H(2)Rpyr(2)en complexes present in solution. DFT calculations were carried out and support the formation and identification of the isomers detected by EPR or NMR spectroscopy, and the strong equatorial and axial binding of the O-phenolato in V(IV)O and V(V)O(2) complexes. Moreover, the DFT calculations done for the [V(IV)O(H(2)Rpyr(2)en)] system indicate that for almost all complexes the presence of a sixth equatorial or axial H(2)O ligand leads to much more stable compounds.

A complete catalytic cycle for the cyclotrimerization of acetylene with the CpRuCl fragment has been proposed and discussed based on DFT/B3LYP calculations, which revealed a couple of uncommon intermediates. The first is a metallacyclopentatriene complex RuCp(Cl)(C(4)H(4)) (B), generated through oxidative coupling of two alkyne ligands. It adds another alkyne in eta(2) fashion to give an alkyne complex (C). No less than three successive intermediates could be located for the subsequent arene formation. The first, an unusual five- and four-membered bicyclic ring system (D), rearranges to a very unsymmetrical metallaheptatetraene complex (E), which in turn provides CpRuCl(eta(2)-C(6)H(6)) (F) via a reductive elimination step. The asymmetry of E, including Cp ring slippage, removes the symmetry-forbidden character from this final step. Completion of the cycle is achieved by an exothermic displacement (21.4 kcal mol(-)(1)) of the arene by two acetylene molecules regenerating A. In addition to acetylene, the reaction of B with ethylene and carbon disulfide, the latter taken as a model for a molecule lacking hydrogen atoms, has also been investigated, and several parallels noted. In the case of the coordinated alkene, facile C-C coupling to the alpha carbon of the metallacycle is feasible due to an agostic assistance, which tends to counterbalance the reduced degree of unsaturation. Carbon disulfide, on the other hand, does not coordinate to ruthenium, but a C=S bond adds instead directly to the Ru=C bond. The final products of the reactions of B with acetylene, ethylene, and carbon disulfide are, respectively, benzene, cyclohexadiene, and thiopyrane-2-thione, the activation energies being lower for acetylene.

The reaction of alkynes with [RuCp(PR(3))(CH(3)CN)(2)]PF(6) (R=Me, Ph, Cy) affords, depending on the structure of the alkyne and the substituent of the phosphine ligand, allyl carbene or butadienyl carbene complexes. These reactions involve the migration of the phosphine ligand or a facile 1,2 hydrogen shift. Both reactions proceed via a metallacyclopentatriene complex. If no alpha C[bond]H bonds are accessible, allyl carbenes are formed, while in the presence of alpha C[bond]H bonds butadienyl carbenes are typically obtained. With diphenylacetylene, on the other hand, a cyclobutadiene complex is formed. A different reaction pathway is encountered with HC[triple bond]CSiMe(3), ethynylferrocene (HC[triple bond]CFc), and ethynylruthenocene (HC[triple bond]CRc). Whereas the reaction of [RuCp(PR(3))(CH(3)CN)(2)]PF(6) (R=Ph and Cy) with HC[triple bond]CSiMe(3) affords a vinylidene complex, with HC[triple bond]CFc and HC[triple bond]CRc this reaction does not stop at the vinylidene stage but subsequent cycloaddition yields allenyl carbene complexes. This latter C[bond]C bond formation is effected by strong electronic coupling of the metallocene moiety with the conjugated allenyl carbene unit, which facilitates transient vinylidene formation with subsequent alkyne insertion into the Ru[double bond]C bond. The vinylidene intermediate appears only in the presence of bulky substituents of the phosphine coligand. For the small R=Me, head-to-tail coupling between two alkyne molecules involving phosphine migration is preferred, giving the more usual allyl carbene complexes. X-ray structures of representative complexes are presented. A reasonable mechanism for the formation of both allyl and allenyl carbenes has been established by means of DFT calculations. During the formation of allyl and allenyl carbenes, metallacyclopentatriene and vinylidene complexes, respectively, are crucial intermediates.

The eta(5)-to-eta(3) coordination shift of cyclopentadienyl (Cp=C(5)H(5)(-)) and indenyl (Ind=C(9)H(7)(-)) ligands in molybdenocene complexes, [(eta(5)-Cp')(eta(5)-Cp)Mo(CO)(2)](2+) (Cp'=Cp or Ind), driven by a two-electron reduction of those species, was studied and compared by means of molecular orbital calculations (B3LYP HF/DFT hybrid functional, DZP basis sets). The results obtained, in terms of optimized geometries, relative energies, and bond analysis parameters, compare well with the experimental data, and verify the well-known indenyl effect, that is, a significantly more facile eta(5)-to-eta(3) rearrangement for the indenyl ligand when compared to cyclopentadienyl. However, the study of the folding of free Cp and Ind, combined with the (eta(5/3)-Cp')-M bond analysis, shows that the observed difference is not the result of an intrinsic characteristic of the indenyl ligand, such as the traditionally accepted aromaticity gain in the benzene ring formed in eta(3)-Ind complexes. Instead, it is directly related to the Cp'-M bond strength. While the difference in the energy required to fold the two free ligands is negligible (or =1 kcal mol(-1) for folding angles up to 20 degrees), the (eta(5)-Cp)-M bond is stronger than that of (eta(5)-Ind)-M; however, the opposite situation is found for the eta(3) coordination mode. The net result, for Cp'=Ind, is a destabilization of the eta(5) complexes and a stabilization of the eta(3) intermediates or transition states yielding smaller activation energies and faster reaction rates for processes in which that is the rate-determining step.

Treatment of the tetranuclear gold cluster [Au4((PPh2)2C2B9H10)2(AsPh3)2] (1), which contains the nido-carborane-diphosphine [7,8-(PPh2)2C2B9H10]-, with various tertiary phosphines leads to derivatives [Au4((PPh2)2C2B9H10)2-(PR3)2] (PR3 = PPh3 (2), P(4-MeC6H4)3 (3), P(4-OMeC6H4)3 (4)). The X-ray crystal structure of complex 4 shows a tetrahedral framework of gold atoms, two of which are chelated by the diphosphine, and two are coordinated to one monophosphine ligand each. These compounds are very stable and are obtained in high yield. MP2 calculations suggest that the two types of chemically nonequivalent gold atoms can be formally assigned as Au(I) (those attached to the arsines or phosphines) and Au(0) (those bonded to the anionic diphosphine) and emphasize the role of correlation in the gold-gold interactions. The compounds are luminescent. The emission is assigned to a gold-centered spin-forbidden transition; the assignment of the oxidation state of the gold centers on this basis leads to results coincident with those obtained by theoretical calculations.

New Ru-sulfonate catalysts have been synthesized and shown to very rapidly allylate indole and pyrrole compounds using allyl alcohols as substrates. The observed regioselectivity is exceptionally high (up to 100% of the branched isomer). Density functional theory calculations explain these results.

Reduction of the cluster [Os 3 (CO) 10 ( i Pr-PyCa)], i Pr–PyCa= σ - N , σ - N ′-pyridine-2-carbaldehyde- N -isopropyl-imine, ( 1 ) follows an ECEC sequence. The initial one-electron reduction step produces the radical anion 1 − which was found stable on a subsecond time scale at low temperatures. At room temperature an open-structure radical anionic transient 1a − is formed which instantaneously reduces to 1a 2− . Subsequent attack of the latter species at yet nonreduced 1 yields an Os–Os bonded cluster dimer [ 1a – 1a ] 2− . In contrast to the reactivity of 1 − , the radical anions of the clusters [HOs 3 (CO) 9 (C 5 H 3 N-2-C(H)N– i Pr)] ( 2 ), [HOs 3 (CO) 9 (6-CH 2 –C 5 H 3 N-2-C(H)N– i Pr)] ( 3 ), containing the ortho -metallated ligands o - i Pr–PyCa{6-X} (X=H, Me}, are substantially more stable. At room temperature in THF, 2 − and 3 − slowly disproportionate to moderately stable dianionic species 2b and 3c . IR and 1 H-NMR spectra of 2b have revealed the presence of bridging CO and terminal hydride ligands, and the dominant localization of the negative charge on the metallic core. The structure of 3c is probably similar. The latter dianions were also obtained by direct one-electron reduction of 2 − and 3 − , respectively. Both radical anions are inherently stable at T =253 K. According to extended Huckel molecular orbital calculations on models of the parent clusters 1 – 3 , the higher stability of 2 − and 3 − relative to that of 1 − has its origin in larger localization of the odd electron at the lowest π *-orbital of the ortho -metallated ligands compared to the σN , σN ′-chelated i Pr–PyCa ligand, and in higher cluster-diimine binding energies of 2 and 3 which drop due the one-electron reduction less than calculated for the couple 1 / 1 − . IR and 1 H-NMR spectra have revealed that 2,3-dipyrid-2′-ylbenzoquinoxaline (dpb) coordinates to the Os 3 core as an ortho -metallated ligand, forming [HOs 3 (CO) 9 (dpb-14-yl)] ( 4 ), in contrast to shorter 2,3-dipyrid-2′-ylpyrazine (dpp). The corresponding radical anion 4 − is inherently stable already at room temperature, mainly due to the large π -acceptor capacity of the ortho -metallated dpb ligand.

A novel stereoselective and convergent catalytic method for the cyclopropanation of electron-neutral and -rich olefins by sulfonium ylides is reported which unusually proceeds through olefin activation rather than by metal carbene formation.

The mechanism of carbonyl substitution in [Fe(Ind)(CO)(2)I] (Ind = C(9)H(7)(-), indenyl) by P(OMe)(3) was investigated by means of DFT calculations. The most favourable path involves a spin crossover of the complex from the ground state singlet to the triplet potential energy surface (S = 1), followed by dissociative loss of CO, and phosphite addition to the coordinatively unsaturated intermediate, [Fe(Ind)(CO)I], with S = 1. In the final step, the system returns to the spin singlet surface, affording the product. This dissociative mechanism is in agreement with the experimental findings. Several pathways occurring exclusively along the singlet surface (S = 0) were explored, namely the expected associative mechanism, which is the most favourable among them, and the "pseudo" associative including the participation of solvent (n-octane). In all cases the corresponding energy barriers were significantly higher than the ones involved in the "spin forbidden" mechanism. The rate enhancement observed comparing the Ind complex with the cyclopentadienyl (Cp = C(5)H(5)(-)) analogue reflects the stability difference between the corresponding S = 0 and S = 1 species in the initial step. The larger number of π orbitals and the lower symmetry of the indenyl ligand, compared with Cp, results in a smaller HOMO-LUMO gap, in a more accessible triplet species, and in a smaller barrier for the spin crossover.

An NHC/iron cooperative catalytic system mediates the aerobic oxidative esterification of aldehydes with phenols. The use of equimolar amounts of reactants led to good to excellent isolated yields of esters.

An overview of the reactivity of coordinatively unsaturated iron complexes (in most cases Fe(II)) towards carbon monoxide is presented. Unsaturated iron complexes are known with coordination numbers (CN) of two to five adopting linear or slightly bent (CN = 2), trigonal (CN = 3), tetrahedral, square planar or trigonal pyramidal (CN = 4), and square-pyramidal or trigonal-bipyramidal geometries (CN = 5), respectively. The binding of CO depends strongly on the number and the nature of co-ligands (overall ligand field strength), the charge of the complex, the complex geometry, and the spin state of the unsaturated metal center. In many cases, CO addition to high-spin iron complexes takes place with concomitant spin state changes forming compounds in the lowest possible spin state, i.e., with S = 0. In several other cases, however, the addition of CO is reversible or is even totally rejected altogether for either thermodynamic or kinetic reasons. In the case of the latter such reactions are termed "spin-blocked" or "spin forbidden".

The preparation, characterisation and structural analysis of a series of zirconium(IV) complexes that incorporate the diamido/diamine macrocyclic ligand Bn2Cyclam (Bn2Cyclam = 1,8-dibenzyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane) are described. The reaction of one or two equivalents of the appropriate LiNHR reagents with [(Bn2Cyclam)ZrCl2] give the corresponding amido-chloride [(Bn2Cyclam)ZrCl(NHR)] (R = tBu, (2,6-iPr)Ph) or bis(amido) [(Bn2Cyclam)Zr(NHR)2] (R = iPr, tBu, (2,6-Me)Ph) complexes, respectively. Treatment of [(Bn2Cyclam)ZrCl(NH(2,6-iPr)Ph)] with one equiv. of MgClMe gives the base-free, monomeric imido complex [(Bn2Cyclam)Zr(N(2,6-iPr)Ph)]. The reaction of the tBu analog with MgClMe generates a dimeric bridging imido species [{(Bn2Cyclam)Zr}2(mu-NR)2], which can also be obtained by thermal decomposition of [(Bn2Cyclam)Zr(NHtBu)2] in toluene. The bis(hydrazido) complex [(Bn2Cyclam)Zr(NHNPh2)2] was obtained by reaction of [(Bn2Cyclam)ZrCl2] and two equiv. of LiNHNPh2. A hydrazido-chloride compound [(Bn2Cyclam)ZrCl(N(Ph)NBu(Ph))] was generated in a one-pot reaction between [(Bn2Cyclam)ZrCl2], LiBu and azobenzene. DFT calculations on [(Bn2Cyclam)ZrXY] complexes indicate that the coordination geometry adopted by these species is dictated by the steric bulk of the ligands X and Y, varying between six-coordinate prismatic and four-coordinate tetrahedral.

In the present work, we have prepared a series of octahedral Fe(II) complexes of the type trans-[Fe(PNP)(CO)2Cl]+—PNP are tridentate pincer-type ligands based on 2,6-diaminopyridine. These complexes are formed irrespective of the size of the substituents at the phosphorus sites and whether cis-[Fe(PNP)(Cl2)(CO)] or trans-[Fe(PNP)(Cl2)(CO)] are reacted with CO in the presence of 1 equiv of silver salts. X-ray structures of representative complexes are presented. Based on simple bonding considerations the selective formation of trans-dicarbonyl Fe(II) complexes is unexpected. In fact, DFT calculations confirm that trans-dicarbonyl complexes are indeed thermodynamically disfavored over the respective cis-dicarbonyl compounds, but are favored for kinetic reasons. Graphical abstract

The two new cluster complexes [Ru 3 H 2 (CO) 9 (C 8 H 10 )] 1 and [Ru 3 H(CO) 9 (C 8 H 11 )] 2 have been isolated as the products of thermolysis of [Ru 3 (CO) 12 ] in octane containing cycloocta-1,3-diene. The two species are structural isomers ideally differing only in the transfer of one hydrogen atom from the organic ligand to the metal core. The organic ligand in 2 is bonded in an allenyl µ 3 -η 3 fashion, the first allenylic bonded ring system to have been reported, whereas in 1 the ligand is, more conventionally, bound in µ 3 -η 2 fashion with the second unsaturated CC bond not involved in bonding to the cluster. The solid-state structures of 1 and 2 have been studied by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The bonding of the organic ligands in the clusters has been investigated by molecular orbital calculations of the extended-Huckel type.

Reduction of [IndCpMo(L)Br]Br (L = 1a, CO; 2, NCMe) with Cp2Co in the presence of two equivalents of the ligand L′ gives the ring-slipped neutral complexes [(η3-Ind)CpMoL′2] (L′ = 5, CO; 6, 1/2 dppe; 7, PMe3; 8, P(OMe)3; 9, CNtBu) in good yield. Products 7, 8, and 9, but not [IndCpMoL′], are also formed in the presence of only 1 equivalent of L′ in modest yields. In the case of the reduction of [IndCpMo(L)Br]Br [L = 2, NCMe; 3a, CNtBu; 4, P(OMe)3] mixtures of the complexes, [(η3-Ind)CpMoL2] (8, 9) and [(η5-Ind)CpMoL] [L = 11, P(OMe)3; 12, CNtBu] were obtained. The only product of formal type [(η5-Ind)CpMoL] that could be prepared by these methods was the alkyne complex [(η5-Ind)CpMo(η2-PhC≡CPh)] (10). These results contrast with the well-known reductions of similar bis-cyclopentadienyl cations [Cp2Mo(L)Br]+, which produce [Cp2MoL] complexes under the same conditions. The reduction of the dications [Cp2MoL2][BF4]2 [L = CO; P(OMe)3] with Cp2Co is now reported to afford the neutral complexes [CpMo(η3-C5H5)(CO)2] (13) and [Cp2Mo(P(OMe)3)] (14), respectively, showing that the stability of the ring-slipped complexes is dependent on the other ligands. From DFT and EHMO calculations used to probe the bonding and the energetics of these ring slippage processes it is concluded that weak π acceptor ligands favour η5-Ind η3-Ind slippage and disfavour η5-Cp η3-Cp slippage at the CpMoL2 fragment. Redox-induced ring slippages involve very similar energies for both indenyl and cyclopentadienyl complexes and should be able to produce more examples of the otherwise rare η3-Cp coordination mode.