Divalent dirhodium imido complexes: formation, structure, and alkyne cycloaddition reactivity

The amido complexes have provided a chemistry that is attributed to a reactive imido species [Cp*Rh([[mu].sub.2]-NPh)RhCp*] including a formal [2+2] cycloaddition reaction with unactivated alkynes. A sterically hindered arylimido ligand is used for isolating and characterizing the relevant coordinatively unsaturated imidodirhodium complex.