Preparation of a potassium chloride bridged thorium phosphinidiide complex and its reactivity towards small organic molecules

Abstract

The KCl-bridged phosphinidiide thorium metallocene, {[η⁵-1,3-(Me₃C)₂C₅H₃]₂Th(P-2,4,6-ⁱPr₃C₆H₂)(ClK)}₂ (2), was isolated in good yield by a salt metathesis reaction of the thorium methyl chloride compound [η⁵-1,3-(Me₃C)₂C₅H₃]₂Th(Cl)Me (1) with 2,4,6-ⁱPr₃C₆H₂PHK in toluene. Furthermore, it was fully characterized including its molecular structure. The reactivity of 2 towards various small organic molecules was also explored, e.g., it reacts with alkynes, nitriles, CS₂, quinolines, silanes, pyridine and imidazole derivatives, resulting in metallacycles, imidos, carbodithiolates, and phosphido compounds. Density functional theory (DFT) computations were conducted to supplement the experimental investigations.