Nature of the Rh−H2 Bond in a Dihydrogen Complex Stabilized Only by Nitrogen Donors. Inelastic Neutron Scattering Study of TpMe2RhH2(η2-H2) (TpMe2 = Hydrotris(3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl)borate)

The tunnel splitting of the librational ground state and the torsional frequencies of the dihydrogen ligand in Tp(Me)()2RhH(2)(eta(2)-H(2)) (Tp(Me)()2 = hydrotris(3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl)borate) were measured using inelastic neutron scattering spectroscopy. The barrier for the rotation of the H(2) ligand and its H-H separation, calculated from these data, are 0.56(2) kcal/mol and 0.94 Å, respectively. These values indicate that pi-back-donation from the Tp(Me)()2RhH(2) fragment to H(2) is relatively weak and/or the interaction between the coordinated dihydrogen molecule and the two cis-hydride ligands significantly lowers the barrier for H(2) rotation.