Reactions of [PdX2(dppm)] (X = Cl, Br) with a
range of Grignard reagents have been
investigated. Diorganopalladium complexes of the type
[PdR2(dppm)] were obtained in good
yield with the bulky mesityl or trimethylsilylmethyl groups, provided
the reactions were
performed using high Grignard:Pd ratios in ether solution. With
the smaller R groups Me,
Et, Bu, and CH2Ph, only the halide-bridged A-frame
complexes
[Pd2R2(μ-X)(μ-dppm)2]+
were
formed, irrespective of the reaction conditions. Mixtures of
chloride- and bromide-bridged
complexes were produced when [PdCl2(dppm)] was
treated with RMgBr, so [PdBr2(dppm)]
was used as the starting material in certain cases. The mesityl
derivative
[Pd2(C6H2Me3)2(μ-Br)(μ-dppm)2]+ could be obtained
from the reaction of [PdBr2(dppm)] with 4 mol equiv
of
C6H2Me3MgBr in
CH2Cl2 solution, but with
Me3SiCH2MgCl mixtures of monomeric
and
dimeric complexes were obtained under these conditions. The
A-frame complex [Pd2(CH2SiMe3)2(μ-Cl)(μ-dppm)2]+
was generated, however, by reaction of
[Pd(CH2SiMe3)2(dppm)]
with
1 mol equiv of HCl. The A-frames were isolated as their
PF6
- salts. They were
characterized
by elemental analysis, NMR spectroscopy, and, in the case of
[Pd2(C6H2Me3)2(μ-Br)(μ-dppm)2]PF6, X-ray crystallography. The molecular structure of
the
[Pd2(C6H2Me3)2(μ-Br)(μ-dppm)2]+
cation reveals that it adopts an elongated boat conformation, with the
dppm CH2 groups
lying on the same side of the Pd2P4 framework
as the bridging bromide. With the smaller
aryl Grignards PhMgBr, p-tolylMgBr, or
o-tolylMgCl, the diarylpalladium species
[PdAr2(dppm)] could be detected in solution at low temperatures but at
ambient temperature
reductive coupling of the aryl groups occurred and the
palladium(I) complexes
[Pd2X2(μ-dppm)2] were formed.