Coordination studies of the ferrocenyl phosphine selenide ligand FcCON(CH2CH2PPh2Se)2

•The ferrocenyl phosphine selenide ligand FcCON(CH2CH2PPh2Se)2 has been synthesized.•Its coordination chemistry towards group 11 metals and palladium has been studied.•The phosphine selenide coordinates as bridging or chelating ligand.•Elongation of the PSe bond lengths takes place after coordination of a gold centre.

The oxidation of the ferrocenyl phosphine ligand FcCON(CH2CH2PPh2)2 with elemental selenium leads to the synthesis of the ferrocenyl phosphine selenide FcCON(CH2CH2PPh2Se)2 (L1). The coordination chemistry of this ligand with group 11 metals and palladium has been studied, and several complexes with coordination of the metal to the selenium atoms have been prepared. The ligand L1 reacts with pentafluorophenyl gold(I) or gold(III) species leading to the complexes [{Au(C6F5)}2(μ-L1)] or [{Au(C6F5)3}2(μ-L1)], respectively. The reaction of two equivalents of L1 with silver(I) or copper(I) salts gives the tetra-coordinate complexes [M(L1)2]X (M = Cu, X = PF6; Ag, X = OTf), or with trans-[PdCl2(NCPh)2] affords the square planar palladium derivative [PdCL2(L1)]. The ligand L1 and the gold(I) complex [{Au(C6F5)}2(μ-L1)] have been characterized by X-ray diffraction.

Graphical abstractThe synthesis of ferrocenyl phosphine selenide ligand FcCON(CH2CH2PPh2Se)2 (L1) and its coordination chemistry has been studied. Several gold(I), gold(III), silver(I), copper(I) and palladium complexes have been synthesized with this ligand of different stoichiometries, showing that the phosphine selenide coordinates as bridging or chelating ligand.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide