Alessandra Crispini and Mauro Ghedini
The relationship between the planarity of five-membered cyclopalladated
rings and calculated aromaticity indices has been investigated. Geometrical
parameters for 126 crystal structures containing the fragments
[Pd(NXCY
)A2] (X, Y = C or N;
A = any ligand) were obtained from the Cambridge Structural
Database. These were classified in terms of planarity by measuring the
displacement of the N atom bonded to the Pd from the calculated mean plane
formed by the other four atoms. The same classification was performed using
the displacement of the Pd atom and the results compared.
‘Aromaticity’ indices for the five-membered cyclopalladated
rings, V and HOMA, were also calculated based on experimental bond
lengths and typically used in the analysis of five- or six-membered organic
heterocycles. The correlation between calculated ‘aromaticity’
indices and planarity of the rings has been shown to be good. The stability
and/or reactivity of the five-membered cyclopalladated rings suggested by
the sequence of ‘aromaticity’ indices agrees well with the
reactivity series of these compounds previously found for ligand-exchange
reactions.