The six-membered heavy atom heterocycles [Re(2)(CO)(8)(μ-SbPh(2))(μ-H)](2), 5, and Pd[Re(2)(CO)(8)(μ-SbPh(2))(μ-H)](2), 7, have been prepared by the palladium-catalyzed ring-opening cyclo-dimerization of the three-membered heterocycle Re(2)(CO)(8)(μ-SbPh(2))(μ-H), 3. The palladium atom that lies in the center of the heterocycle 7 was removed to yield 5. The palladium removal was found to be partially reversible leading to an unusual example of host-guest behavior. A related dipalladium complex Pd(2)Re(4)(CO)(16)(μ(4)-SbPh)(μ(3)-SbPh(2))(μ-Ph)(μ-H)(2), 6, was also formed in these reactions of palladium with 3.

New highly dispersed bimetallic nanoscale catalysts based on rhenium combined with antimony or bismuth have been shown to be highly effective for the ammoxidation of 3-picoline to nicotinonitrile (precursor for vitamin B3) under mild conditions in the liquid phase.

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Single-site Re nanoparticles were produced by anchoring dirhenium organometallic clusters on to the inner walls of mesoporous silica. The presence of oxophilic atoms (Sb or Bi) is essential to obtain well dispersed Re(0) centers. The interaction between the organometallic cluster and the silica support is critical for the generation of well-defined and isolated Re(0) single sites. FTIR spectroscopy was used to track the decomposition of the organometallic precursors and the adsorption of probe molecules such as CO on the metal sites sheds valuable information on the catalytic potential of this new class of bimetallic nanocatalysts.

Five new compounds were obtained from the reaction of Os(3)(CO)(11)(NCMe), 1, with BiPh(3) in hexane solution at reflux. These have been identified as Os(2)(CO)(8)(mu-BiPh), 2, Os(CO)(4)Ph(2), 3, Os(4)(CO)(14)(mu-eta(3)-O=CC(6)H(5))(mu(4)-Bi), 4, Os(4)(CO)(15)Ph(mu(4)-Bi), 5, and Os(5)(CO)(19)Ph(mu(4)-Bi), 6. Cleavage of the phenyl groups from the BiPh(3) was the dominant reaction pathway. Fragmentation of the original triosmium cluster was accompanied by reaggregation processes that were facilitated by the naked bismuth to yield the higher nuclearity osmium cluster complexes containing spiro-bridging bismuth ligands. Compound 6 was photo-decarbonylated to yield the compound HOs(5)(CO)(18)(mu-eta(2)-C(6)H(4))(mu(4)-Bi), 7, formed by ortho-CH activation of the sigma-bonded phenyl ring in 6 to form a bridging eta(2)-benzyne ligand. Compounds 2- 7 were each characterized structurally by a single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis.