The reactivity of the nitrido complexes(N
nBu
4)[Ru(N)(S
2C
6H
4)
2](
1) and(N
nBu
4)[Os(N)(S
2C
6H
4)
2](
2) (C
6H
4(SH)
2 = 1,2-benzenedithiol) toward electrophiles,R
+ (R = Me, Et, Ph
3C), is described.While
1 yielded intractablemixtures of products,
2 could be cleanly alkylated. Thesynthesis of
1 has been reported previously (
Z.Naturforsch.1987,
42B, 341); complex
2 can besynthesized by treating(N
nBu
4)[Os(N)Cl
4]with deprotonated 1,2-benzenedithiolin acetone/MeOH at 0
C. Complexes
1 and
2are isostructural and crystallize in the orthorhombic spacegroup
Pna2
1,
Z = 8, with
a =36.881(6) Å,
b = 9.402(2) Å, and
c= 17.652(2) Å for
1 and
a =37.042(4) Å,
b =9.375(2) Å, and
c = 17.671(2) Å for
2. The anions of both compounds consist of afive-coordinate mononuclearcenter with a distorted square-pyramidal geometry; a terminal nitridoligand occupies the apical position and twochelating(S
2C
6H
4)
2-ligands form the basal plane. Treatment of
2 withR
3OBF
4 inCH
2Cl
2 yields[Os(N)(S
2C
6H
4)(SC
6H
4SR)](R = Me,
3; R = Et,
4) where one thiolatedonor is alkylated. Alkylation of thesulfur of the 1,2-benzenedithiolate ligand was confirmed by NMRspectroscopy and X-ray crystallography (for
3). Complex
3·CH
2Cl
2 crystallizes inthe orthorhombic space group
P2
12
12
1,
Z= 4, with
a = 8.551(1) Å,
b=10.772(2) Å, and
c = 19.716(3) Å. Incontrast, treatment of
2 withPh
3CPF
6 inCH
2Cl
2 yields[Os(NCPh
3)(S
2C
6H
4)
2](
5), whose
1H and
13C NMR spectraindicate that the terminal nitride is the site of electrophilicattack.X-ray crystallography further confirms the alkylation at thenitrogen atom; complex
5 crystallizes in thetriclinicspace group
P,
Z = 2, with
a= 9.338(8) Å,
b = 10.001(3) Å,
c= 16.280(6) Å,
= 75.88(3)
,
=74.29(6)
,and
= 69.55(5)
.