Electronic Interactions In Multicluster Arrays - An Electrochemical Approach .1.

An electrochemical study on the electronic interactions occurring between the two 'CCo3(CO)9' redox cores in the dimers Co3(CO)9(C-C)Co3(CO)9 and Co3(CO)9(C-C=C-C)Co3(CO)9 is reported. In both derivatives, two well resolved peaks/waves are observed in several solvents by cyclic, square wave voltammetry and d.c. polarography, respectively, for the (0,0)/(0,1 -) and (0,1 -)/(1 -,1 -) reduction processes. The differences in electrode potentials of the two first reductions, DELTAE-degrees', indicate a moderate electronic interaction between the redox centres in both compounds, which mainly occurs via the carbon chains.