Kazuo Kashiwabara, Yasuhiro Ito, Masakazu Kita, Junnosuke Fujita and Kiyohiko Nakajima
Twelve new cobalt(III) complexes containing a tetradentate phosphine ligand of the type MeS(CH2)2PPh(CH2)n PPh(CH2)2SMe (n = 2 L1 or 3 L2) were prepared. Their structures were assigned on the basis of electronic absorption and 1H NMR spectra and the molecular structures of cis-α-[CoCl2{rac(P)-L1 }]BF4 and trans-[CoCl2{meso(P)-L2 }]BF4 were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The last two complexes comprise a slightly distorted octahedron with bond distances Co–P 2.210(1), Co–S 2.254(1) and Co–Cl 2.281(1) and Co–P 2.227(3), Co–S 2.327(3) and Co–Cl 2.241(3) ∠ (all averages) respectively. The differences in Co–S and Co–Cl bond distances are attributable to the strong trans influence of the phosphino group. Acetylacetonate complexes of rac(P)-SPPS in organic solvents form equilibrium mixtures of the cis-α and cis-β isomers, the molar ratio in MeNO2 solution at 60 °C being 2∶1 for the L1 complex and 3∶2 for the L2 complex.