FACILE SYNTHESES OF SELENIUM-CONTAINING AND TELLURIUM-CONTAINING METAL CUBANES, [CP-ASTERISK-M(MU-3-E)]4 (CP-ASTERISK=C5ME5 - M=RH, IR, GA - E=SE, TE), AND X-RAY CRYSTAL-STRUCTURES OF [CP-ASTERISK-RHSE]4, [CP-ASTERISK-IRSE]4, [CP-ASTERISK-RHTE]4, [CP-ASTERISK-IRTE]4, AND [CP-ASTERISK-GATE]4

Reactions of (Cp*MCl2)2 (M = Rh, Ir, Ga) with E(SiMe3)2 (E = Se, Te) give in all cases complexes with tetrameric structures, which were identified by IR NMR, and mass spectra, elemental analyses and X-ray single-crystal structure determinations. The reactions were carried out at room temperature, forming the products within a few minutes. After evaporation of solvent and SiMe3Cl, the red-brown heterocubanes were isolated in nearly quantitative yields. [Cp*GaTe]4 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/m, and the other four compounds crystallize in the triclinic space group P1BAR with the following unit cell dimensions: a = 11.283(2) angstrom, b = 11.395(2) angstrom, c = 18.880(5) angstrom, alpha = 81.39(1)-degrees, beta = 80.84(1)-degrees, gamma = 65.24(1)-degrees, Z = 2 ([Cp*RhSe]4, 1); a = 11.365(7) angstrom, b = 11.451(9) angstrom, c = 18.98(2) angstrom, alpha = 81.37(6)-degrees, beta = 80.81(4)-degrees, gamma = 65.07(3)-degrees Z = 2 ([Cp*IrSe]4, 2); a = 11.724(1) angstrom, b = 12.072(1) angstrom, c = 17.935(2) angstrom, alpha = 88.61(1)-degrees, beta = 77.40(1)-degrees, gamma = 83.99(1)-degrees, Z = 2 ([Cp*RhTe]4, 3); a = 11.664(3) angstrom, b = 12.071(3) angstrom, c = 18.076(4) angstrom, alpha = 88.82(2)-degrees, beta = 77.22(2)-degrees, gamma = 84.32(2)-degrees, Z = 2 ([Cp*IrTe]4, 4); a = 22.225(8) angstrom, b = 15.966(7) angstrom, c = 15.406(9) angstrom, beta = 112.34(3)-degrees, Z = 4, ([Cp*GaTe]4, 5).