Molecular structures of ruthenium half-sandwich complexes with primary and secondary phosphines: [(η6-p-cymene)RuCl2(PR3)] [p-cymene=1-Me-4-PriC6H4; PR3=PH2Fc, PH2CH2Fc, PH(CH2Fc)2; Fc=Fe(η5-C5H4)(η5-C5H5)]

Novel ferrocenyl functionalised phosphinecarboxamides: synthesis, characterisation and coordination

The synthesis of two novel ferrocenyl-substituted phosphinecarboxamides, FcNHC(O)PH₂ (1; Fc = ferrocenyl) and FcCH₂NHC(O)PH₂ (2), is reported. These two primary phosphines were obtained by the reaction of aminoferrocene with sodium 2-phosphaethynolate in the presence of a proton source or, directly, from aminomethylferrocene hydrochloride and sodium 2-phosphaethynolate. Their ability to act as ligands was probed via reactions of 1 with rhodium(iii) and ruthenium(ii) precursors. The isoelectronic metal complexes [(η⁵-C₅Me₅)RhCl₂(1-κP)] and [(η⁶-mes)RuCl₂(1-κP)] were obtained. Treatment of these compounds with a base resulted in HCl elimination to afford phosphide-bridged dirhodium and diruthenium complexes highlighting that on coordination to a metal, the P-H bonds of these phosphinecarboxamides become increasingly protic.

Coinage metal coordination chemistry of stable primary, secondary and tertiary ferrocenylethyl-based phosphines

Ferrocene-based phosphines constitute an important auxiliary ligand in inorganic chemistry. Utilizing the (ferrocenylethyl)phosphines (FcCH2CH2)3-nHnP (Fc = ferrocenyl; n = 2, 1; n = 1, 2; n = 0, 3) the synthesis of a series of coordination complexes [(FcCH2CH2)3-nHnPCuCl]4 (n = 2, 1-CuCl; n = 0, 3-CuCl), [(FcCH2CH2)2HPCuCl] (2-CuCl), {[(FcCH2CH2)H2P]2AgCl}2 (1-AgCl), [(FcCH2CH2)2HPAgCl] (2-AgCl), [(FcCH2CH2)3PAgCl]4 (3-AgCl), [(FcCH2CH2)3PM(OAc)]4 (M = Cu, 3-CuOAc M = Ag, 3-AgOAc), [(FcCH2CH2)3-nHnPAuCl] (n = 1, 2-AuCl; n = 0, 3-AuCl), via the reaction between the free phosphine and MX (M = Cu, Ag and Au; X = Cl, OAc), is described. The reaction between the respective phosphine with a suspension of metal-chloride or -acetate in a 1 : 1 ratio in THF at ambient temperature affords coordinated phosphine-coinage metal complexes. Varying structural motifs are observed in the solid state, as determined via single crystal X-ray analysis of 1-CuCl, 3-CuCl, 1-AgCl, 3-AgCl, 3-CuOAc, 3-AgOAc, 2-AuCl and 3-AuCl. Complexes 1-CuCl and 3-CuCl are tetrameric Cu(i) cubane-like structures with a Cu4Cl4 core, whereas silver complexes with primary and tertiary phosphine reveal two different structural types. The structure of 1-AgCl, unlike the rest, displays the coordination of two phosphines to each silver atom and shows a quadrangle defined by two Ag and two Cl atoms. In contrast, 3-AgCl is distorted from a cubane structure via elongation of one of the ClAg distances. 3-CuOAc and 3-AgOAc are isostructural with step-like cores, while complexes 2-AuCl and 3-AuCl reveal a linear geometry of a phosphine gold(i) chloride devoid of any aurophilic interactions. All of the complexes were characterized in solution by multinuclear (1)H, (13)C{(1)H} and (31)P NMR spectroscopic techniques; the redox chemistry of the series of complexes was examined using cyclic voltammetry. This class of complexes has been found to exhibit one reversible Fe(ii)/Fe(iii) oxidation couple, suggesting the absence of electronic communication between the ferrocenyl units on individual phosphine ligands as well as between different phosphines on the polymetallic cores.

Hydrophosphination reactions with transition metal ferrocenylphosphine complexes

The group 6 metal mono-, bis- and tris-ferrocenylphosphine complexes [M(CO)5(PH2Fc)] (1a, M = Cr; 1b, M = Mo; 1c, M = W), cis-[M(CO)4(PH2Fc)2] (2a, M = Cr; 2b, M = Mo; 2c, M = W) and fac-[M(CO)3(PH2Fc)3] (3a, M = Cr; 3b, M = Mo; 3c, M = W) [Fc = Fe(η(5)-C5H4)(η(5)-C5H5)] were prepared and fully characterised. IR and NMR spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis indicate that FcPH2 is as good a σ donor as PhPH2 but is easier to handle and furthermore has a redox-active ferrocenyl group. Complex 1c was employed in the hydrophosphination of acrylonitrile and methyl acrylate in the presence of catalytic amounts of KOtBu giving the secondary phosphine complexes [W(CO)5{PH(Fc)(CH2CH2CN)}] (4a) and [W(CO)5{PH(Fc)(CH2CH2C(O)OMe)}] (4b). In addition, FcP(CH2CH2CN)2 (5) was prepared by a similar method from FcPH2 and acrylonitrile. These hydrophosphination products represent a convenient method for the modification of phosphines.

A phosphomide based PNP ligand, 2,6-{Ph2PC(O)}2(C5H3N), showing PP, PNP and PNO coordination modes

Coordination chemistry of a versatile phosphomide ligand, 2,6-{Ph₂PC(O)}₂(C₅H₃N), is described.

Unexpected formation of [Ru(η5-C5H5)(PH{CH2N(CH2CH2)2O}2)(PPh3)2]BF4 – the first “piano-stool” ruthenium complex bearing a secondary aminomethylphosphane ligand

[Ru(η⁵-C₅H₅)(PH{CH₂N(CH₂CH₂)₂O}₂)(PPh₃)₂]BF₄ – unexpected formation of the first “piano-stool” ruthenium complex bearing a secondary aminomethylphosphane ligand.

Optically active tetra-tert-butyl-P(5)-deltacyclene epimers: preparation, spectroscopy, dynamic equilibriums, H/D exchange, and transition-metal complex chemistry

On the basis of isolated diastereomeric triorganylstannyl-P5 -deltacyclenes 7' and 7'', almost pure enantiomers of their destannylation products 8' and 8'' are now available. These stereochemically inert cage chiral species contain a configurationally labile P1H1 group that defines two epimers 8 a and 8 b of each of the enantiomers, which are connected by a rapid equilibrium. Mirror-symmetric circular dichroism (CD) spectra of the enantiomeric cages are compatible with the identification of epimers. A simulation of the CD spectrum of the major epimer 8'a relates the cage chirality of the system to the observed chiroptical effects. Both cage epimers and two of the phosphorus cage atoms are active as ligands with respect to [M(CO)5 ] fragments of Cr, Mo, and W. Four almost isoenergetic regio- and stereoisomers of the resulting mononuclear complexes are formed for these metals, but only one of the isomers per metal crystallized in the case of the racemic series of the complexes. The enantiopure versions of cages and cage complexes, however, did not crystallize at all, a well-known phenomenon for chiral compounds. CD spectra of the optically active complex isomer mixtures are close to identical with the CD spectra of the related free cages and point again to the chiral cages as the dominant source of the CD effects of the complexes. [(Benzene)RuCl2 ] complexes of the cage ligand 8 behave totally differently. Only a single species 12=[(benzene)RuCl2 ⋅8 b] is formed in almost quantitative yield and the minor epimer 8 b plays the role of the ligand exclusively. The reaction works as well for the separated enantiomeric cage versions to yield the highly enriched enantiomers 12' and 12'' separately. An efficient kinetic resolution process was identified as the main reason for this finding. It is based on a high stereo- and regiochemical flexibility of the PC cage ligand that is capable of adjusting to the specific requirements of a suitable transition-metal complex fragment. Such ligand flexibility is regularly observed in metalloenzymes, but is a very rare case in classical and organometallic complex chemistry.

Synthesis, transition metal chemistry and catalytic reactions of ferrocenylbis(phosphonite), [Fe{C5H4P(OC6H3(OMe-o)(C3H5-p))2}2]

The new metalloligand ferrocenylbis(phosphonite), [Fe(C5H4PR2)2 (R = OC6H3(OMe-o)(C3H5-p))], (2), is synthesized by the reaction of bis(dichlorophosphino)ferrocene Fe(C5H4PCl2)2 (1) with 4-allyl-2-methoxyphenol. The reactions of 2 with H2O2 and elemental sulfur or selenium afforded bischalcogenides, [Fe{C5H4P(E)(OC6H3(OMe-o)(C3H5-p))2}2] (3, E = O; 4, E = S; 5, E = Se), in good yield. The bis(phosphonite) reacts with group 6 metal carbonyls and group 10 metal dichloride precursors to produce the chelate complexes [{M(CO)4}Fe{C5H4P(OC6H3(OMe-o)(C3H5-p))2}2}] (6, M = Mo; 7, M = W) and [(MCl2)Fe{C5H4P(OC6H3(OMe-o)(C3H5-p))2}2] (8, M = Pd; 9, M = Pt). The palladium(ii) complex [(PdCl2)Fe{C5H4P(OC6H3(OMe-o)(C3H5-p))2}2] (8) is an efficient catalyst for the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions (TON up to 1.5 × 10(5)). The reaction of 2 with one equivalent of [RuCl2(η(6)-p-cymene)]2 yielded the binuclear complex [{Ru2Cl4(η(6)-p-cymene)2}Fe{C5H4P(OC6H3(OMe-o)(C3H5-p))2}2] (12) in good yield. Treatment of 2 with copper chloride in a 1 : 1 or 1 : 2 molar ratio resulted in the formation of a binuclear complex, [{(CuCl)Fe{C5H4P(OC6H3(OMe-o)(C3H5-p))2}2}2] (13), whereas a similar reaction of 2 with CuBr and CuI in a 1:2 or 1:2.5 molar ratio yielded the novel butterfly-like deca-nuclear complexes [Cu5(μ-X)5{Fe{C5H4P(OC6H3(OMe-o)(C3H5-p))2}2}2]2 (14, X = Br; 15, X = I). The reaction of 2 with two equivalents of [AuCl(SMe2)] afforded the digold complex [(AuCl)2Fe{C5H4P(OC6H3(OMe-o)(C3H5-p))2}2] (16), with the ligand exhibiting bridged-bidentate mode of coordination. Additionally, some complexes were studied by cyclic voltammetry. The crystal structures of complexes 8, 9, 12, 15 and 16 were determined using X-ray diffraction studies.