Reactivity of bidentate phosphine ligands in zirconocene chemistry; the 1,2-bis(dimethylphosphino)ethane complex of zirconocene

The bidentate diphosphine ligand, 1,2-bis(dialkylphosphino)ethanes (dmpe), reacted with zirconocene-ethylene complex to afford Cp2Zr(ethene)(κ1-dmpe) (2) and [Cp2Zr(ethene)]2(μ,κ2-dmpe) (3), instead of Cp2Zr(κ2-dmpe) (1).83