Coordination Chemistry of 2,2'-Dipyridyl Diselenide: X-ray Crystal Structures of PySeSePy, [Zn(PySeSePy)Cl(2)], [(PySeSePy)Hg(C(6)F(5))(2)], [Mo(SePy)(2)(CO)(3)], [W(SePy)(2)(CO)(3)], and [Fe(SePy)(2)(CO)(2)] (PySeSePy = C(5)H(4)NSeSeC(5)H(4)N; SePy = [C(5)H(4)N(2-Se)-N,Se]).

The coordination chemistry of 2,2'-dipyridyl diselenide (PySeSePy) (2) (C(10)H(8)N(2)Se(2)) has been investigated and its crystal structure has been determined (monoclinic, P2(1)/c, a = 10.129(2) Å, b = 5.7332(12) Å, c = 19.173(3) Å, beta = 101.493(8) degrees, Z = 4). In metal complexes the ligand was found to coordinate in three different modes, as also confirmed by X-ray structure determination. N,N'-coordination was found in the zinc complex [Zn(PySeSePy)Cl(2)] (3) (C(10)H(8)Cl(2)N(2)Se(2)Zn, triclinic, P&onemacr;, a = 7.9430(10) Å, b = 8.147(2) Å, c = 11.999(2) Å, alpha = 93.685(10) degrees, beta = 107.763(10) degrees, gamma = 115.440(10) degrees, Z = 2) and Se,Se'-coordination in the adduct of the ligand with bis(pentafluorophenyl)mercury(II) [PySeSePyHg(C(6)F(5))(2)] (5) (C(10)H(8)F(10)HgN(2)Se(2), monoclinic, P2(1)/n, a = 7.7325(10) Å, b = 5.9974(14) Å, c = 25.573, beta = 98.037(10) degrees, Z = 2), which however displays only weak interactions between selenium and mercury. The reaction of the ligand with norbornadiene carbonyl complexes of molybdenum and tungsten leads to reductive cleavage of the selenium-selenium bond with oxidation of the metal center and concomitant addition of the resulting selenolate to the metal carbonyl fragment. Thus the 7-coordinate complexes [Mo(SePy)(2)(CO)(3)] (6) (C(13)H(8)MoN(2)O(3)Se(2), monoclinic, P2(1)/n, a = 9.319(3) Å, b = 12.886(5) Å, c = 13.231(6) Å, beta = 109.23(3) degrees, Z = 4) and [W(SePy)(2)(CO)(3)] (7) (C(13)H(8)N(2)O(3)Se(2)W, monoclinic, P2(1)/n, a = 9.303(2) Å, b = 12.853(2) Å, c = 13.232(2) Å, beta = 109.270(10) degrees, Z = 4) were obtained. The same N,Se-coordination pattern emerges from the reaction of [Fe(2)(CO)(9)] with (2) leading to [Fe(SePy)(2)(CO)(2)] (8) (C(12)H(8)FeN(2)O(2)Se(2), monoclinic, P&onemacr;, a = 8.6691(14) Å, b = 12.443(2) Å, c = 14.085(2) Å, alpha = 105.811(10) degrees, beta = 107.533(8) degrees, gamma = 92.075(10) degrees, Z = 4).