A Dynamic Rearrangement of a Metal Cluster in a Process that Closely Resembles the Hopping Mechanism of Adatom Diffusion on Metal Surfaces This work was supported by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences, US Department of Energy.

Metal in motion: The reaction of [Ru5(CO)15(μ5-C)] with [Pt(PtBu3)2] yields [Ru5Pt(PtBu3)(CO)15(C)]. The product exists as two isomers, an open and a closed form, which interconvert rapidly on the NMR timescale by a process that resembles the diffusion of metal adatoms across a metal surface (see scheme; at 20°C the rate=24 000 s−1).