Crystal structures of (azido)(pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)iridium(III) complexes containing various types of bidentate ligands

Several (azido)iridium(III) complexes having a pentamethylcyclopentadienyl (Cp∗) group, [Cp∗Ir(N3)2(Ph2Ppy-κP)] (1: Ph2Ppy = 2-diphenylphosphinopyridine), [Cp∗Ir(N3)(Ph2Ppy-κP,κN)]CF3SO3 (2), [Cp∗Ir(N3)(dmpm)]PF6 (3: dmpm = bis(dimethylphosphino)methane), [Cp∗Ir(N3)(Ph2Pqn)]PF6··CH3OH (4··CH3OH: Ph2Pqn = 8-diphenylphosphinoquinoline), and [Cp∗Ir(N3)(pybim)] (5: Hpybim = 2-(2-pyridyl)benzimidazole) have been prepared and their crystal structures have been analyzed by X-ray diffraction. In complex 1, the Ph2Ppy ligand is only coordinated via the P atom (-κP), while in 2 it acts as a bidentate ligand through the P and N atoms (-κP,κN) to form a four-membered chelate ring. Comparing the structural parameters of the chelate ring in 2 with those of a similar five-membered chelate ring formed by Ph2Pqn in 4, it became apparent that the angular distortion in the Ph2Ppy-κP,κN ring was remarkable, although the Ir–P and Ir–N bonds in the Ph2Ppy-κP,κN ring were not elongated very much from the corresponding bonds in the Ph2Pqn-κP,κN ring. In the pybim complex 5, the five-membered chelate ring was coplanar with the pyridine and benzimidazolyl rings. With the related (azido)iridium(III) complexes analyzed previously, comparison of the structural parameters of the Ir–N3 moiety in [Cp∗IrIII(N3)(L–L′)]+/0 complexes reveals an anomalous feature of the 2,2′-bipyridyl (bpy) complex, [Cp∗Ir(N3)(bpy)]PF6.

Graphical abstractThe iridium(III) azido complexes of [Cp∗IrIII(N3)2(Ph2Ppy-κP)] (Cp∗ = η5-C5Me5, Ph2Ppy = 2-diphenylphosphinopyridine) and [Cp∗IrIII(N3)(L–L′)]+/0 [L–L′ = Ph2Ppy, bis(dimethylphosphino)methane (dmpm), 8-diphenylphosphinoquinoline (Ph2Pqn), or 2-(2-pyridyl)benzimidazolate (pybim)] have been prepared and their crystal structures have been compared together with those of the related complexes.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide