Treatment of a hydrosulfido-bridged diiridium complex, [(Cp*IrCl)
2(
-SH)
2] (
1; Cp* =
5-C
5Me
5),with [Mo(
6-toluene)(CO)
3] in the presence of NEt
3 gave the sulfido-bridged Ir
2Mo cluster [(Cp*Ir)
2{Mo(CO)
3}(
3-S)
2] (
3). Detailed studies on the reactivity of its Mo site have resulted in the isolation ofa series of new Ir
2Mo(
3-S)
2 clusters. Thus,
3 reacted with Ph
2PCH
2CH
2PPh
2 (dppe) to afford [(Cp*Ir)
2{Mo(CO)(dppe)}(
3-S)
2] (
4), which underwent the oxidation by I
2 at the molybdenum site to give [(Cp*Ir)
2{MoI(CO)(dppe)}(
3-S)
2]I (
5). On the other hand, oxidation of
3 with [Cp
2Fe][PF
6] in THF-MeCNresulted in the elimination of one CO ligand and concomitant coordination of two MeCN molecules atthe Mo center, yielding [(Cp*Ir)
2{Mo(CO)
2(MeCN)
2}(
3-S)
2][PF
6]
2 (
6). Further oxidation of
6 using O
2gas led to the elimination of all the remaining CO ligands to give an oxo-dichloro cluster, [(Cp*Ir)
2(MoOCl
2)(
3-S)
2] (
7). The ligation of diphosphines to the molybdenum site in
7 formed the cationicoxo-chloro cluster [(Cp*Ir)
2{MoOCl(R
2PC
2H
4PR
2)}(
3-S)
2]X (
8a, R = Me (dmpe), X = Cl;
8b, R = Et,X = Cl;
8c, R = Ph, X = PF
6) with concurrent dissociation of one of the Cl ligands, and the followingdeoxygenation from
8a with BCl
3 gave [(Cp*Ir)
2{MoCl
3(dmpe)}(
3-S)
2][BCl
4] (
9). Reduction of
9 withCp
2Co afforded a paramagnetic Mo(III) cluster, [(Cp*Ir)
2{MoCl
2(dmpe)}(
3-S)
2][BCl
4] (
11), whereasreduction of
8c with NaBH
4 resulted in the formation of a Mo(II) dihydrido cluster, [(Cp*Ir)
2{M
oH2(dppe)}(
3-S)
2] (
12). X-ray analyses have been undertaken to determine the detailed structures for
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8b,
9, and
12.