Transformations of methylplatinum(II) dimers containing bridging cyclometallated 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane; X-ray crystal structure of a sterically crowded bis[methylplatinum(II)]dimer

Abstract

The methyl group in the 1 : 1 adduct of methyl iodide with the Pt^I–Pt^I dimer [Pt-µ-{o-C₆H₄P(Ph)CH₂CH₂PPh₂}]₂ is either bridging or migrating rapidly on the n.m.r. time-scale between the metal atoms; the adduct reacts with methyl-lithium to give a symmetrical dimethyldiplatinum(II) complex in which the co-ordination geometry about platinum is severely distorted from planarity, as shown by single-crystal X-ray structural analysis.