Efficient Carbene and Carbyne Formation in Molybdenum(0) and Tungsten(0) Dinitrogen Complexes

Zerovalent group 6 dinitrogen phosphine complexes react with 3,3-diphenylcyclopropene to give vinylcarbyne hydride complexes that have been characterized crystallographically. Computational studies indicate that the observed products resulted from the α-migration and rearrangement of an initially formed vinylcarbene.