A Bimetallic Iron–Nickel Cluster from the Reaction of Nickelocene with a Pentairon Carbonyl Carbide Cluster Complex

The new bimetallic Fe–Ni carbide containing cluster complex, Fe4Ni(Cp)2(CO)10(μ5-C), 4 was afforded by metal–metal exchange and metal cluster rearrangement processes in the reaction of Fe5(μ5-C)(CO)15, 1, with NiCp2 at 80 °C. A minor product Fe5(Cp)2(CO)10(μ5-C), 5, was also obtained from this reaction which contains no nickel and is a di-Cp substituted derivative of 1. Both compounds were characterized by a combination of IR, 1H NMR, mass spectrometry, elemental and single crystal X-ray diffraction analyses. Compound 4 consists of an open Fe4Ni(μ5-C) cluster framework with a carbide ligand where one iron atom bridges a butterfly arrangement of one nickel and three iron atoms.