Metal coordination to bipyridyl carbynes

The Pd 0 /Au I -mediated coupling of the stannylcarbyne [W([triple bond, length as m-dash]CSn n Bu 3 )(CO) 2 (Tp*)] (1) and 6-bromo-2,2'-bipyridine or 6,6'-dibromo-2,2'-bipyridine gives new carbynes functionalised on the carbyne carbon(s) with a bipyridyl group. These new 'metallo-ligands' undergo protonation at the pyridyl nitrogens, metallation of the tungsten-carbon triple bond with [AuCl(SMe 2 )], and metallation of the bipyridyl moiety with K[PtCl 3 (C 2 H 4 )]·H 2 O, [ReBr(CO) 5 ] and [MCl(COD] 2 (M = Ir, Rh; COD = η 4 -cycloocta-1,5-diene).