μ‐Bis(diphenylphosphino)methane‐P:P′‐octacarbonyldimanganese(Mn–Mn) and its toluene hemisolvate

The Mn—Mn bonds in the two independent mol­ecules of the unsolvated title compound, [Mn2(C25H22P2)(CO)8], (I), are 2.9714 (7) and 2.9746 (7) Å. This bond is distinctly shortened in the toluene hemisolvate, [Mn2­(C25­H22P2)(CO)8]·­0.5C7H8, (II), to 2.9338 (14) Å and this shortening is accompanied by an increase in magnitude of the P—Mn—Mn—P torsion angle [26.93 (3) and 28.44 (3)° in (I), and 33.25 (7)° in (II)], while the P⋯P `bite' is much less affected [3.092 (2) and 3.099 (2) Å in (I), and 3.091 (3) Å in (II)]. The toluene solvate mol­ecule in (II) lies on a twofold axis.