Reactions of pentacarbonyl manganate anion with 4-halocrotonate esters or 2-halocarboxylate esters result in a complex set of inorganic and organic products, usually including the expected dienolate (or enolate) complexes. The reaction variables include the counterion, solvent, and halo group. The mechanism of the reaction has been investigated by conducting a thorough characterization of the reaction products under various conditions and also by carrying out model reactions. One can rationalize most of the non-organometallic products using either a radical or carbanion mechanism, but the latter seems to fit the available data better. Experimental procedures for optimizing the yield of the organometallic dienolate or enolate complexes have been worked out. Keywords: pentacarbonyl manganate, metalate nucleophilicity, enolate complex, nucleophilic substitution, 55Mn NMR spectroscopy.
