Sulfur-Assisted Phenyl Migration from Phosphorus to Platinum in PtW2 and PtMo2 Clusters Containing Thioether-Functionalized Short-Bite Ligands of the Bis(diphenylphosphanyl)amine-Type

The Backbone of Success of P,N-Hybrid Ligands: Some Recent Developments

Organophosphorus ligands are an invaluable family of compounds that continue to underpin important roles in disciplines such as coordination chemistry and catalysis. Their success can routinely be traced back to facile tuneability thus enabling a high degree of control over, for example, electronic and steric properties. Diphosphines, phosphorus compounds bearing two separated P^III donor atoms, are also highly valued and impart their own unique features, for example excellent chelating properties upon metal complexation. In many classical ligands of this type, the backbone connectivity has been based on all carbon spacers only but there is growing interest in embedding other donor atoms such as additional nitrogen (–NH–, –NR–) sites. This review will collate some important examples of ligands in this field, illustrate their role as ligands in coordination chemistry and highlight some of their reactivities and applications. It will be shown that incorporation of a nitrogen-based group can impart unusual reactivities and important catalytic applications.

Triangular Palladium Cluster from Activation of the Si-Si Bond in a Disilane with Phosphine Pendants

A disilane that contains two diphenylphosphino moieties, (Ph₂PCH₂)Ph₂Si-SiPh₂(CH₂PPh), was readily synthesized from the reaction of ClPh₂Si-SiPh₂Cl with (tmeda)Li(CH₂PPh₂). Treatment of the thus-obtained disilane with the palladium(0) precursor [Pd(CN^tBu)₂]₃ led to the exclusive formation of a trinuclear palladium cluster in which three palladium atoms are arranged in a triangular fashion. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of the obtained triangular cluster revealed that novel silylphosphido chelating ligands were formed via a skeletal rearrangement of the ligand framework.

Transition Metal Chain Complexes Supported by Soft Donor Assembling Ligands

The chemistry of discrete molecular chains constituted by metals in low oxidation states, displaying metal-metal proximity and stabilized by suitable metal-bridging, assembling ligands comprising at least one soft donor atom is comprehensively reviewed; complexes with a single (hard or soft) bridging atom (e.g., μ-halide, μ-sulfide, or μ-PR₂ etc.) as well as "closed" metal arrays (that fall in the realm of cluster chemistry) are excluded. The focus is on transition metal-based systems, with few excursions to cases combining transition and post-transition elements. Most relevant supporting ligands have neutral C, P, O, or S donor (mainly, N-heterocyclic carbene, phosphine, ether, thioether) or anionic donor (mainly phenyl, ylide, silyl, phosphide, thiolate) groups. A supporting-ligand-based classification of the metal chains is introduced, using as the classifying parameter the number of "bites" (i.e., ligand bridges) subtending each intermetallic separation. The ligands are further grouped according to the number of donor atoms interacting with the metal chain (called denticity in the following) and the column of the Periodic Table to which the set of donor atoms belongs (in ascending order). A complementary metal-based compilation of the complexes discussed is also provided in a concise tabular form.

Stable mixed-valence diphenylphosphanido bridged platinum(ii)-platinum(iv) complexes

The reaction between [NnBu4][(C6F5)2PtII(μ-PPh2)2PtIV(C^N)(I)2] (C^N = κ2-N,C-benzoquinolinate, 1) and (i) bidentate S^S, N^S and O^O anionic ligands or (ii) monodentate S- N- or O-based anionic ligands was studied in order to investigate the factors that may guarantee the stability of Pt(ii),Pt(iv) mixed-valence dinuclear phosphanido complexes. While reactions of 1 with S^S or N^S ligands afforded stable Pt(ii),Pt(iv) species of general formula [(C6F5)2PtII(μ-PPh2)2PtIV(C^N)(L^S)]x- [(L^S)(x-1) = 2-mercaptopyrimidinate (pymS-), 2-mercaptopyridinate (pyS-), dimethyldithiocarbamate (Me2NCS2-), ethyl xanthogenate (EtOCS2-) and 1,2-benzenedithiolate (PhS22-)], the reaction of 1 with the O^O ligand sodium acetylacetonate gave several products, and no pure Pt(ii),Pt(iv) complex could be isolated. The reaction of monodentate ligands such as PhS-, OH- or N3- with 1 led to a stable Pt(ii),Pt(iv) complex only in the case of N3-. The reaction with OH- afforded the Pt(ii),Pt(ii) complex [(C6F5)2PtII(μ-PPh2)(κ2-O,P-μ-O-PPh2)PtII(C^N)]- (8) deriving from reductive coupling of a diphenylphosphanide and an O-donor ligand coordinated to the Pt(iv) centre, while the reaction with PhS- produced the unstable Pt(ii),Pt(iv) complex [NnBu4][(C6F5)2PtII(μ-PPh2)2PtIV(C^N)(PhS)2] (11) that evolved in solution to the Pt(ii),Pt(ii) species [NnBu4][(C6F5)2PtII(μ-PPh2)2PtII(C^N)] (9) by elimination of diphenyldisulfide. Thus, the stability of mixed valence Pt(ii),Pt(iv) phosphanide complexes is affected by several concurrent factors, including the chelating effect of the ligands and the type of ligating atoms.

Mono- and polynuclear Ag(i) complexes of N-functionalized bis(diphenylphosphino)amine DPPA-type ligands: synthesis, solid-state structures and reactivity

DPPA-type ligands (Ph₂P)₂N(p-Z)C₆H₄ (Z = H, SMe, OMe) led to Ag(i) complexes of various nuclearities and an unexpected influence of the para-substituent Z is observed, including for CH₂Cl₂ activation.

Functional Short-Bite Ligands: Synthesis, Coordination Chemistry, and Applications of N-Functionalized Bis(diaryl/dialkylphosphino)amine-type Ligands

The aim of this review is to highlight how the diversity generated by N-substitution in the well-known short-bite ligand bis(diphenylphosphino)amine (DPPA) allows a fine-tuning of the ligand properties and offers a considerable scope for tailoring the properties and applications of their corresponding metal complexes. The various N-substituents include nitrogen-, oxygen-, phosphorus-, sulfur-, halogen-, and silicon-based functionalities and directly N-bound metals. Multiple DPPA-type ligands linked through an organic spacer and N-functionalized DRPA-type ligands, in which the PPh2 substituents are replaced by PR2 (R = alkyl, benzyl) groups, are also discussed. Owing to the considerable diversity of N-functionalized DPPA-type ligands available, the applications of their mono- and polynuclear metal complexes are very diverse and range from homogeneous catalysis with well-defined or in situ generated (pre)catalysts to heterogeneous catalysis and materials science. In particular, sustained interest for DPPA-type ligands has been motivated, at least in part, by their ability to promote selective ethylene tri- or tetramerization in combination with chromium. Ligands and metal complexes where the N-substituent is a pure hydrocarbon group (as opposed to N-functionalization) are outside the scope of this review. However, when possible, a comparison between the catalytic performances of N-functionalized systems with those of their N-substituted analogs will be provided.

Thioether-terminated nickel(ii) coordination clusters with {Ni6} horseshoe- and {Ni8} rollercoaster-shaped cores

We report two polynuclear nickel(ii) compounds whose supramolecular structures are controlled by small inorganic templating anions and π-conjugated Schiff-base ligands (L·SMe³⁻ and HL·SMe²⁻) with peripheral, structurally exposed methylthioether groups.