Platinum Complexes of Phospholes with Reduced Pyramidal Character from Steric Crowding

Preparation of Palladium(II) Complexes of 1-substituted-3-phospholene Ligands and their Evaluation as Catalysts in Hydroalkoxycarbonylation

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A series of palladium(II) complexes incorporating 1-substituted-3-methyl-3- phospholenes as the P-ligands were prepared from phospholene oxides by deoxygenation followed by complexation with PdCl2(PhCN)2. The two 1-substituted-3-methyl-3- phospholene ligands were trans position to each other in the Pd(II)-complexes. As the ligands contain a P-stereogenic center, the Pd-complexes were obtained as a 1:1 mixture of two stereoisomers, the homochiral (R,R and S,S) and the meso (R,S) forms, when racemic starting materials were used. An optically active Pd-complex containing (R)-1-propyl- 3-phospholene ligand was also prepared. Catalytic activity of an aryl- and an alkyl-3- phospholene-palladium(II)-complex was evaluated in hydroalkoxycarbonylation of styrene. The alkyl-derivative showed higher activity and selectivity towards the formation of the esters of 3-phenylpropionic acid. However, the overall activity of these PdCl2(phospholene)2-type complexes was low.

Platinum(II)-phosphole complexes: synthesis and evaluation as enyne cycloisomerisation catalysts

A series of platinum(II)-monophosphole complexes has been synthesized and used in enyne cycloisomerisations in order to study the effect of the ligand on the catalytic activity and selectivity. Reactions were performed on various N- or C-tethered 1,6-enynes and in the absence or in the presence of nucleophiles. For the most efficient cationic Pt(II)-complexes, it was also evidenced that the counterion and/or the solvent could have an influence on both the efficiency and the selectivity in the competition between the 5-exo-dig and the 6-endo-dig processes.