Substituted pyridine coordinated N,N-trans and N,N-cis cyclopalladated complexes of (S)-4-tert-butyl-2-phenyl-2-oxazoline: Crystal structures, spectral study and catalysis of the decomposition of PS pesticides

Three pyridine coordinated cyclopalladated complexes: (S)-chloro{2-[2-(4-tert-butyl)oxazolinyl]phenyl-C,N}(4-R-pyridine)palladium(II) (R = H, 2; R = CF3, 3; R = NMe2, 4), have been synthesized and structurally characterized. While the crystal structure shows that 2 has a normal N,N-trans-conformation in the coordination sphere of palladium(II), 3 and 4 exhibit uncommon N,N-cis-conformations. From 1H NMR measurements, the major coordination isomer in deuterated chloroform solution is N,N-trans configuration for three palladacycles. It was found that the three complexes catalyze effectively the methanolysis of the PS pesticides including chiral thiophosphates but show different activity depending on the substituents of co-coordinated pyridine ring in 2–4.

Graphical abstractThree cyclopalladated complexes with a chiral oxazoline backbone and substituted pyridine co-ligand show different coordination configurations in the solid state and different catalytic activities on the decomposition of PS pesticides.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide