An unprecedented regiospecific attack of phosphorus nucleophiles at Cα of the allenyl ligand in [Fe2(CO)6(µ-PPh2){µ-η1 : η2α,β-(H)CαCβCγH2}]

The binuclear allenyl complex [Fe2(CO)6(µ-PPh2)-{µ-η1 : η2-(H)CαCβCγH2}] 1 reacts with PPh2H and PPhH2 to afford [Fe2(CO)6(µ-PPh2){µ-η1 : η2-(Me)CCH(PPh2)}] 2 and [{Fe2(CO)6(µ-PPh2)-(µ-η1 : η2-(Me)CCH)}2PPh] 3 respectively both of which contain µ-η1 : η2-coordinated phosphino-substituted alkenyl ligands formed via an unprecedented regiospecific attack of phosphorus nucleophiles at Cα of the µ-η1 : η2-coordinated allenyl followed by a facile 1,4-hydrogen migration.