A Highly Unsaturated Platinum–Rhenium Cluster Complex Activates Hydrogen Reversibly

Give and take: The compounds [PtRe2(CO)9(PtBu3)(μ-H)2] and [Pt2Re2(CO)7(PtBu3)2(μ-H)2] (1) are obtained from the reaction of [Pt(PtBu3)2] with [Re3(CO)12(μ-H)3]. Compound 1 adds hydrogen at 25 °C to yield the tetrahydrido complex [Pt2Re2(CO)7(PtBu3)2(μ-H)4] (2; see structure, red H, blue Pt, green Re, silver C, gold O, yellow P). When heated and also when irradiated, compound 2 eliminates one equivalent of H2 to regenerate 1 in high yield.