The stereochemistry of the oxidative addition of methyl iodide to rhodium(I) complexes containing chiral diphosphines

Abstract

Complexes of the type [(L)Rh(Ph₂PCHR¹CHR²PPh₂)](L =η⁵-cyclopentadienyl or η⁵-indenyl) rapidly react with methyl iodide to give the pseudotetrahedrally coordinated compounds [(L)Rh(Ph₂PCHR¹CHR²PPh₂)Me]I, in which the metal is a stereogenic centre; the extent of diastereoselectivity is complete in some cases and seems to be mostly dependent on steric factors due to the diphosphine ligand, not being substantially influenced by the η⁵-substituent.