Facile activation of hydrogen by unsaturated platinum-osmium carbonyl cluster complexes

The electronically unsaturated cluster complex Os3Pt2(CO)10(PBut3)2 (10) was obtained from the reaction of Os3(CO)10(NCMe)2 with Pt(PBut3)2. Compound 10 reacts with hydrogen at 0 °C to yield the di- and tetra-hydrido compounds Os3Pt2(CO)10(PBut3)2(μ-H)2 (11) and Os3Pt2(CO)10(PBut3)2(μ-H)4 (12) by sequentially cleaving a Pt-Os bond with each addition of hydrogen. The hydrogen was eliminated from 11 by purging their solutions with nitrogen.