Cyclometallation of phenylhydrazones: Synthesis, reactivity, crystal structure analysis and novel trinuclear palladium(II) cyclometallated compounds with [C, N, N′] terdentate ligands

Reaction of the ligand C6H5N(H)NCMe(C5H4N) (a) with palladium(II) acetate in toluene gave the mononuclear cyclometallated complex [Pd{C6H4N(H)NCMe(C5H4N)}(AcO)] (1a). Reaction of 1a with sodium chloride gave the analogous chlorine compound [Pd{C6H4N(H)NCMe(C5H4N)}(Cl)] (3a) which could also be prepared by reaction of a with lithium tetrachloropalladate and sodium acetate in methanol for 48 h; whereas shorter reaction times afforded the non-cyclometallated complex [Pd{C6H5N(H)NCMe(C5H4N)}(Cl)2] (2a). Reaction of the ligand 2-ClC6H4N(H)NCMe(C5H4N) · HCl (b), with palladium(II) acetate, or with lithium tetrachloropalladate and sodium acetate, yielded the cyclometallated complex [Pd2-ClC6H3N(H)NCMe(C5H4N)(Cl)] (1b). Treatment of 3a and 1b with silver trifluoromethanesulphonate (triflate) and triphenylphosphine in acetone gave the mononuclear complexes [Pd{2-RC6HnN(H)NCMe(C5H4N)}(PPh3)][CF3SO3], (R = H, n = 4, 4a; R = Cl, n = 3, 2b) with the ligand as C,N,N′ terdentate and substitution of chlorine by triphenylphosphine. Reaction of 3a and 1b with silver triflate and the tertiary diphosphine Ph2P(CH2)4PPh2 (dppb) in a 2:1 molar ratio gave the dinuclear cyclometallated complexes [{Pd[2-RC6H3N(H)NCMe(C5H4N)]}2(μ-Ph2P(CH2)4PPh2)][CF3SO3]2 (R = H, 5a; R = Cl, 3b) with a μ2-diphosphine bridging ligand. Similarly, treatment of 3a and 1b with silver triflate and the tertiary triphosphines MeC(CH2PPh2)3 (tripod) and (Ph2PCH2CH2)2PPh (triphos), in 3:1 molar ratio, gave the novel trinuclear complexes [{Pd[C6H4N(H)NCMe(C5H4N)]}3{μ3-MeC(CH2Ph2)3}][CF3SO3]3 (6a) and [{Pd[2-ClC6H3N(H)NCMe(C5H4N)]}3{μ3-(PPh2CH2CH2)2PPh}][CF3SO3] 3 (4b) regioselectively, with the phosphine as a μ3-bridging ligand. When the reaction between 3a and triphos was carried out in 1:1 molar ratio the mononuclear complex [Pd{C6H4N(H)NCMe(C5H4N)}{(PPh2CH2CH2)2PPh-P,P,P}][ClO4] (7a) was obtained. The crystal structures of 2b, 3a and 4a have been determined by X-ray crystallography.

Graphical abstractThe reactions of the phenylhydrazones C6H5N(H)NCMe(C5H4N) and 2-ClC6H4N(H)NCMe(C5H4N) · HCl, with lithium tetrachloropalladate or palladium(II) acetate, as appropriate, give cyclometallated compounds with the organic ligand as terdentate [C, N, N], from which novel trinuclear species were obtained by reaction with the tertiary triphosphines MeC(CH2PPh2)3 (tripod) and (Ph2PCH2CH2)2PPh (triphos).Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide