Reactivities of the chalcogen-capped triiron clusters [EFe₃ (CO)₉]^2- (E = Te, Se, S): Cluster growth and transformations

Transition-metal carbonyl clusters incorporated with chalcogen elements are of particular interests due to their structural and chemical diversity. Up to now, quite a large number of chalcogen-containing iron carbonyl clusters have been synthesized and structurally characterized. In this short review, we will describe our recent developments on the interesting cluster expansions and transformations of the chalcogen-capped triiron clusters [EFe₃(CO)₉] ^2- (E = Te, 1; Se, 2; S, 3) toward a series of organic and inorganic electrophiles. The effects of chalcogen atoms and the incoming electrophiles on the formation of the resultant clusters are also compared and discussed.