An organometallic octopus complex: Structure and properties of a resorcinarene with 16 cobalt centers

An "octopus-like" octapropargyl resorcinarene gives the most highly metalated resorcinarene known by addition Of Co-2(CO)(6) units to all eight propargyl groups. Reaction of the octapropargyl resorcinarene derivatives {PhCH2CH2CHC6H2(OCH2CCR)(2)}(4) (R = H, Me) with [Co-2(CO)(8)] gives the corresponding octakis[alkyne(dicobalt)] derivatives [{PhCH2CH2CHC6H2(OCH2CCRCO2(CO)(6))(2)}(4)], and the Co-16 complex with R = H has been structurally characterized. The octapropargyl compound {PhCH2CH2CHC6H2(OCH2CCH)(2)}(4) also yields the octaalkynylgold(I) derivatives [{PhCH2CH2CHC6H2(OCH2CCAuL)(2)}(4)], with L = PPh3, t-BuNC, and the insoluble, polymeric compounds [{PhCH2CH2CHC6H2(OCH2CCAu)(2)(mu-LL)(2)}(4)](x) with diphosphine ligands, with LL = Ph2P(CH2)(n)PPh2 and n = 1, 2, 4.