Activation of dichloromethane by palladium(0) and platinum(0) phosphine complexes: synthesis and structure of [{N(CH2CH2PPh2)3}M(CH2Cl)](BPh4), M = Pd, Pt

Abstract

The Pd(0) trico-ordinate out-of-plane (np₃)Pd,[np₃= N(CH₂CH₂ PPh₃)₃], and the Pt(0) pseudotetrahedral (np₃)Pt(PPh₃) complexes react, under mild conditions, with CH₂Cl₂ yielding (M–CH₂–Cl) complexes; [(np₃)Pt(CH₂Cl)]BPh₄·CH₂Cl₂ has been structurally characterised by X-ray analysis: variable temperature ³¹P{¹H} n.m.r. spectroscopy measurements have shown that the eighteen electron complex (np₃)Pt(PPh₃) can dissociate in solution, giving the strong nucleophilic species (np₃)Pt.