Complexes containing one or two Fmes ligands (Fmes =
2,4,6-tris(trifluoromethyl)phenyl
= nonafluoromesityl) either trans or cis are
obtained by treating palladium(II) chloro
complexes with Li(Fmes):
trans-[PdCl2L2] (L =
tetrahydrothiophene (tht), PPh3) lead to
trans-[Pd(Fmes)ClL2] (L = tht, PPh3) or
trans-[Pd(Fmes)2L2] (L =
tht); [PdCl2(L-L)] (L-L = 1,5-cyclooctadiene, 2,2‘-bipyridine) give [Pd(Fmes)Cl(L-L)]
(L-L = COD, bipy) or [Pd(Fmes)2(bipy)]. The structures of two complexes containing two Fmes
ligands in trans and cis
arrangement,
trans-[Pd(Fmes)2(tht)2]
(2) and [Pd(Fmes)2(bipy)]
(6), respectively, have been
determined by X-ray diffraction. In spite of the severe steric
congestion the complexes are
four coordinated. Distortions due to the bulkiness of the
ortho substituents and short
Pd···F3C-ortho distances are observed.
The high degree of steric crowding is also
responsible
for slow rotation around the Pd−P bonds in the complex
trans-[Pd(Fmes)Cl(PPh3)2].
ΔG
⧧
associated with this motion is 12.8 kcal
mol-1, one of the highest values reported so
far for
rotation around M−PPh3 bonds. Complexes 2
and 6 are redox inactive by cyclic voltammetry
in the range −1.8 to +1.8 V.