Chemical reduction of [Mo 2 Cp 2 (µ-Cl)(µ-PA 2 )-(CO) 2 ] (A ) Cy, Ph, OEt) gives the corresponding alkaline metal salts of the triply bonded anions [Mo 2 -Cp 2 (µ-PA 2 )(µ-CO) 2 ] -, which exhibit both molybdenum and oxygen nucleophilic sites. The PCy 2 anion reacts easily with NH 4 + , [AuCl(PR 3 )], or MeI to give unsaturated dicarbonyls [Mo 2 Cp 2 (µ-X)(µ-PA 2 )(CO) 2 ] (X ) H, AuPR 3 , Me), while [Me 3 O]BF 4 gives the methoxycarbyne [Mo 2 Cp 2 (µ-COMe)(µ-PCy 2 )(µ-CO)] and allyl chloride rearranges to give the unsaturated alkenyl complex [Mo 2 -Cp 2 (µ-PCy 2 )(µ-CMeCH 2 )(CO) 2 ].

The genes involved in gluconate catabolism ( gntP and gntK ) in Corynebacterium glutamicum are scattered in the chromosome, and no regulatory genes are apparently associated with them, in contrast with the organization of the gnt operon in Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. In C. glutamicum, gntP and gntK are essential genes when gluconate is the only carbon and energy source. Both genes contain upstream regulatory regions consisting of a typical promoter and a hypothetical cyclic AMP (cAMP) receptor protein (CRP) binding region but lack the expected consensus operator region for binding of the GntR repressor protein. Expression analysis by Northern blotting showed monocistronic transcripts for both genes. The expression of gntP and gntK is not induced by gluconate, and the gnt genes are subject to catabolite repression by sugars, such as glucose, fructose, and sucrose, as was detected by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR). Specific analysis of the DNA promoter sequences (PgntK and PgntP) was performed using bifunctional promoter probe vectors containing mel (involved in melanin production) or egfp2 (encoding a green fluorescent protein derivative) as the reporter gene. Using this approach, we obtained results parallel to those from qRT-PCR. An applied example of in vivo gene expression modulation of the divIVA gene in C. glutamicum is shown, corroborating the possible use of the gnt promoters to control gene expression. glxR (which encodes GlxR, the hypothetical CRP protein) was subcloned from the C. glutamicum chromosomal DNA and overexpressed in corynebacteria; we found that the level of gnt expression was slightly decreased compared to that of the control strains. The purified GlxR protein was used in gel shift mobility assays, and a specific interaction of GlxR with sequences present on PgntP and PgntK fragments was detected only in the presence of cAMP.

The unsaturated complexes [W2Cp2(mu-PR2)(mu-PR'2)(CO)2] (Cp = eta5-C5H5; R = R' = Ph, Et; R = Et, R' = Ph) react with HBF4.OEt2 at 243 K in dichloromethane solution to give the corresponding complexes [W2Cp2(H)(mu-PR2)(mu-PR'2)(CO)2]BF4, which contain a terminal hydride ligand. The latter rearrange at room temperature to give [W2Cp2(mu-H)(mu-PR2)(mu-PR'2)(CO)2]BF4, which display a bridging hydride and carbonyl ligands arranged parallel to each other (W-W = 2.7589(8) A when R = R' = Ph). This explains why the removal of a proton from the latter gives first the unstable isomer cis-[W2Cp2(mu-PPh2)2(CO)2]. The molybdenum complex [Mo2Cp2(mu-PPh2)2(CO)2] behaves similarly, and thus the thermally unstable new complexes [Mo2Cp2(H)(mu-PPh2)2(CO)2]BF4 and cis-[Mo2Cp2(mu-PPh2)2(CO)2] could be characterized. In contrast, related dimolybdenum complexes having electron-rich phosphide ligands behave differently. Thus, the complexes [Mo2Cp2(mu-PR2)2(CO)2] (R = Cy, Et) react with HBF4.OEt2 to give first the agostic type phosphine-bridged complexes [Mo2Cp2(mu-PR2)(mu-kappa2-HPR2)(CO)2]BF4 (Mo-Mo = 2.748(4) A for R = Cy). These complexes experience intramolecular exchange of the agostic H atom between the two inequivalent P positions and at room-temperature reach a proton-catalyzed equilibrium with their hydride-bridged tautomers [ratio agostic/hydride = 10 (R = Cy), 30 (R = Et)]. The mixed-phosphide complex [Mo2Cp2(mu-PCy2)(mu-PPh2)(CO)2] behaves similarly, except that protonation now occurs specifically at the dicyclohexylphosphide ligand [ratio agostic/hydride = 0.5]. The reaction of the agostic complex [Mo2Cp2(mu-PCy2)(mu-kappa2-HPCy2)(CO)2]BF4 with CN(t)Bu gave mono- or disubstituted hydride derivatives [Mo2Cp2(mu-H)(mu-PCy2)2(CO)2-x(CNtBu)x]BF4 (Mo-Mo = 2.7901(7) A for x = 1). The photochemical removal of a CO ligand from the agostic complex also gives a hydride derivative, the triply bonded complex [Mo2Cp2(H)(mu-PCy2)2(CO)]BF4 (Mo-Mo = 2.537(2) A). Protonation of [Mo2Cp2(mu-PCy2)2(mu-CO)] gives the hydroxycarbyne derivative [Mo2Cp2(mu-COH)(mu-PCy2)2]BF4, which does not transform into its hydride isomer.

The triply bonded complex [Mo2Cp2(μ-H)-(μ-PCy2)(CO)2] (Cp = η5-C5H5) reacts readily at room temperature with a great variety of simple molecules, resulting in diverse processes, as illustrated by its reactions with CO (addition), CNtBu (insertion), and HSnPh3 (H2 elimination). This unsaturated hydride also easily incorporates 17e [MoCp(CO)3] or 16e [MnCp‘(CO)2] metal fragments to give 46e heterometallic clus-ters (Cp‘ = η5-C5H4Me).

The reactions of the triply bonded anion [Mo2Cp2(μ-PCy2)(μ-CO)2]- (Li+ salt) with [NH4]PF6, MeI, and PhCH2Cl give, with good yields, the corresponding hydride- or alkyl-bridged derivatives [Mo2Cp2(μ-X)(μ-PCy2)(CO)2] (X = H, Me, CH2Ph). The related phenyl complex [Mo2Cp2(μ-Ph)(μ-PCy2)(CO)2] can be obtained upon reaction of the above anion with Ph3PbCl. According to the corresponding X-ray diffraction studies, the latter complex displays its phenyl group bonded to the dimetal center exclusively through the ipso carbon atom, while the methyl and benzyl complexes adopt an asymmetric α-agostic structure whereby one of the C−H bonds of the bridgehead carbon is bound to one of the molybdenum atoms. The intermetallic distances remain quite short in all cases, 2.56−2.58 Å. In solution, the hydride complex exhibits dynamic behavior involving mutual exchange of the carbonyl ligands. The alkyl derivatives behave similarly to each other in solution and also exhibit dynamic behavior, possibly implying the presence of small amounts of a nonagostic structure in equilibrium with the dominant α-agostic structure. Density functional theory calculations (B3LYP, B3PW91) correctly reproduce the experimental structures, and predict an α-agostic structure for both the methyl and benzyl complexes. The bonding in the above hydride and hydrocarbyl complexes was analyzed using molecular orbital, atoms in molecules, and natural bond orbital methodologies. The intermetallic binding in the hydride complex can be thus described as composed of a tricentric (Mo2H) plus two bicentric (Mo2) interactions, the latter being of σ and π types. In the hydrocarbyl-bridged complexes, analogous tricentric (Mo2C), and bicentric (Mo2) interactions can be identified, but there are additional interactions reducing the strength of the intermetallic binding, these being the α-agostic bonding in the case of the alkyl complexes and a π-donor interaction from the π-bonding orbitals of the hydrocarbon ring into suitable metal acceptor orbitals, in the case of the phenyl complex. The strength of these additional interactions have been estimated by second-order perturbation analysis to be of 70.3 (Me), 89.2 (CH2Ph), and 52.2 (Ph) kJ mol-1, respectively.