Unexpectedly different reactions of [(arene)Mn(CO)3]+ cations (arene = trindane, indane, tetralin, or dibenzosuberane) with potassium t-butoxide C-H insertions, haptotropic shifts, dimerization, or elimination

[(η 6 -Trindane)Mn(CO) 3 ][BF 4 ] (1) reacts with tert-BuOK in THF in the presence of alkyl halides (CH 2 =CHCH 2 Br, CH 3 I) to yield the corresponding (η 6 -C 15 H 18 )Mn(CO) 2 X, where X = Br (3) or I (4). In contrast, 1 and tert-BuOK react, in the presence of a donor ligand, to generate (η 5 -C 15 H 15 )Mn(CO) 2 L, where L = CO (7), P(OMe) 3 (8), or PPh 3 (9), in which the metal has migrated from the central ring onto a peripheral ring that …