Inorganic Chemistry, Vol.41, No.5, 1194-1198, 2002
Metal scrambling in the trinuclear {Pt2Se2M} (M = Pt, Pd, Au) system using an electrospray mass spectrometry (ESMS) directed synthetic methodology; Isolation and crystallographic characterization of {Pt-2(mu(3)-Se)(2)(PPh3)(4)[Pt(cod)]} {PF6}(2) and {Pt(mu(3)-Se)(2)(PPh3)(2)[Pt(cod)](2)}{PF6}(2) (cod = Cyclo-octa-1,5-diene)
Pt-2(u-Se)(2)(PPh3)(4) reacts with PtCl2(cod) to give {Pt-2(u(3)-Se)(2)(PPh3)(4)[Pt(cod)]}(2+) and an unexpected cod-rich product that arises from metal scrambling, viz. {Pt(u(3)-Se)(2)(PPh3)(2)[Pt(cod)](2)}(2+). The formation of these species was detected and followed by electrospray mass spectrometry (ESMS) and subsequently verified by batch synthesis and crystallographic characterization. Other metal-scrambled aggregate products were successfully detected.