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 Co2(CO)6 units to all eight propargyl groups. Reaction of the
octapropargyl resorcinarene derivatives {PhCH2CH2CHC6H2(OCH2CCR)2}4 (R = H, Me) with
[Co2(CO)8] gives the corresponding octakis[alkyne(dicobalt)] derivatives [{PhCH2CH2CHC6H2(OCH2CCRCo2(CO)6)2}4], and the Co16 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(μ-LL)2}4]x with diphosphine ligands, with LL = Ph2P(CH2)nPPh2 and n = 1, 2, 4.