Reinvestigation of mer,trans-(Acetonitrile)trichlorobis(triphenylphosphine)rhenium(III)

The crystals of (OC-6-13)-(acetonitrile-N)trichlorobis(triphenylphosphine-P)rhenium(III), [ReCl₃(C₂H₃N)(C₁₈H₁₅P)₂], contain distorted octahedral molecules in which the phosphine ligands are trans with respect to one another and the Cl ligands adopt a meridional arrangement. In contrast to the isostructural [OsCl₃(PPh₃)₂(CH₃CN)] complex, where the Os-Cl distances do not differ greatly, the Re-Cl bond trans to the nitrile ligand [2.393 (2) Å] is appreciably longer than the mutually trans Re-Cl bonds [2.344 (2) and 2.350 (2) Å].

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