A 1 ∶ 1 addition of Ph2PCl to an ethereal solution of C2F5Li (formed from the reaction of BuLi with C2F5Cl) yields Ph2P(C2F5)
(abbreviated pfepp) (1). The introduction of a fluoroethyl group results in a phosphine with electronic characteristics that approximate phosphites, bridging the electronic gap between traditional donor phosphine ligands and more electrophilic phosphine ligands like PhP(C2F5)2 (2). The pfepp ligand 1 is isolated as a high boiling liquid, which crystallizes upon standing at room temperature in an inert atmosphere. A series of Pt(II) complexes of the type trans-L2PtCl2
(L = pfepp 3; PhP(C2F5)24) have been prepared and structurally characterized by multinuclear NMR, IR and X-ray crystallography. The crystal structure of 1 is the first example of a structurally characterized monodentate phosphine with a pentafluoroethyl pendant group.