Metallation of bicymantrenyl and its equimolar mixture with cymantrene under the action of butyllithium followed by oxidative coupling under the action of CuCl2 results in the formation of quatercymantrenyl and tercymantrenyl, respectively.
Bicymantrenyl, eta(5),eta(5)-C10H8[Mn(CO)(3)](2) (1), may be metallated at the Cp-ring with BuLi (THF, -60 degrees C) to give monolithium (2) and polylithium derivatives. Metallation of 1 proceeds concurrently on both alpha- and beta- positions, the beta-substitution product being predominant. A number of derivatives of 1 with substituents R = D, COOH, CHO, PPh2 have been synthesized in the reactions of monolithium derivative 2 with different electrophiles (D2O, CO2, DMFA, Ph2PCl respectively). Under the action of CuCl2 the oxidative coupling of 2 proceeds to give tetracymantrenyl (11a). Oxidative coupling of a mixture of 2 with cymantrenyllithium affords two isomers of tricymantrenyl (12a, 12b). The structures of 11a, 12a, 12b were established by an X-ray study. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.