Studies of the chemistry of metal cluster complexes and, in particular, their reactions with small organic molecules, have been confined to relatively few systems. Among the reasons for this are: (i) not many clusters are easily synthesized in high yields; (ii) their reactions often give a multitude of products that are difficult to separate and characterize; (iii) the conditions required to bring about reactions often lead to fragmentation of the cluster into lower nuclearity (often mononuclear) species. One cluster whose chemistry has been extensively studied is [Os
3
H
2
(CO)
10
]. This can be synthesized in high yields from [Os
3
(CO)
12
] + H
2
(Knox
et al.
1975) and reacts readily under mild conditions with a wide range of electron-donor molecules by virtue of its coordinative unsaturation (Shapley
et al.
1975; Deeming & Hasso 1976; Adams & Golembeski 1979). Formally, one may consider that a metal—metal double bond is present, which is reduced to a single bond on coordination of an additional two-electron donor ligand such as an organophosphine. The presence of metal—hydrogen bonds in this cluster and the cluster’s ability to coordinate organic substrates enable it to undergo a wide variety of insertion reactions, leading to products that may be regarded as intermediates in the reduction of organic molecules by clusters (Deeming & Hasso 1975; Keister & Shapley 1975).
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