Molybdocene dichloride is the organomolybdenum compound with the formula ( η⁵-C₅H₅)₂MoCl₂ and

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name dichlorobis(η⁵-cyclopentadienyl)molybdenum(IV), and is commonly abbreviated as Cp₂MoCl₂. It is a brownish-green air- and moisture-sensitive powder. In the research laboratory, it is used to prepare many derivatives.

Preparation and structure

The compound is prepared from molybdocene dihydride by treatment with chloroform: :(C₅H₅)₂MoH₂ + 2 CHCl₃ → (C₅H₅)₂MoCl₂ + 2 CH₂Cl₂ The compound adopts a "clamshell" structure where the Cp rings are not parallel, the average Cp(centroid)-M-Cp angle being 130.6°. The two chloride ligands are cis, the Cl-Mo-Cl angle of 82° being narrower than in niobocene dichloride (85.6°), which in turn is less than in zirconacene dichloride (92.1°). This trend helped to establish the orientation of the HOMO in this class of complex.

Uses

Unlike the titanocene and zirconacene derivatives, the molybdocene compounds have yielded no commercial applications. All metallocene dihalides exhibit some anti-cancer activity, but these have not yielded useful compounds in the clinic.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Molybdocene Dichloride Metallocenes Organomolybdenum compounds Chloro complexes Cyclopentadienyl complexes Molybdenum(IV) compounds