Abstract
Simple, economical, and more practical procedures have been developed for the synthesis of precursors to pendant chain cyclobutadiene metal complexes. Facile reduction of the mono and disubstituted 1,2-cyclobutenediones gave cyclobutenediols which were converted to their corresponding trans dibromides with PBr3. Reduction and complexation using Fe2(CO)9 formed the pendant chain cyclobutadiene tricarbonyliron complexes in good yields.