www.elsevier.nl/locate/jorganchem Journal of Organometallic Chemistry 621 (2001) 218 – 223 Chelating behaviour of a phosphinoalcohol leading to a stable alcohol palladium complex Chris Mattheis, Pierre Braunstein * Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, UMR CNRS 7513, Uniersite ´ Louis Pasteur, 4 rue Blaise Pascal, 67070 Strasbourg Cedex, France Received 4 September 2000; accepted 13 September 2000 Dedicated to Professor H. Brunner on the occasion of his 65th birthday, with our best wishes and most sincere congratulations Abstract Using the enantiopure phosphinoalcohol ligand (P,OH) (1) [(P,OH) =[(1S ),(2S ),(4R )-1-OH-1-Me-2-PPh 2 -4-C(Me)CH 2 -c - C 6 H 7 ], the stable Pd(II) complexes [(dmba)Pd(P,OH)Cl] (2) (dmba =o -C 6 H 4 CH 2 NMe 2 ), [(dmba)Pd(P,OH)]PF 6 (3) and [(dmba)Pd(P,O)] (4) have been prepared. Conductivity and NMR measurements showed that complex 2 gives rise to a solvent-dependent equilibrium in solution between the neutral and the cationic species [(dmba)Pd(P,OH)Cl] (2a) and [(dmba)Pd(P,OH)]Cl (2b), respectively. The crystal structures of 2b and [(dmba)Pd(P,OH)]PF 6 (3) have been determined by X-ray diffraction. In the solid state, both cationic complexes display chelating behaviour for the P,OH ligand. © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Synthesis; Chiral ligands; Ditopic ligands; Functional phosphines; Palladium; X-ray structures 1. Introduction Palladium and platinum alkoxide complexes have aroused special interest because they offer a rich chem- istry with versatile reactivity [1]. They undergo for instance insertion reactions of carbon monoxide, car- bon dioxide and olefins into the metal–oxygen bond and are assumed to be intermediates in several catalytic and stoichiometric reactions [2]. The difficulties often encountered in isolating them are mainly due to their sensitivity towards -hydride elimination reactions [1]. However, an appropriate choice of ligands has recently allowed the preparation of several palladium and plat- inum alkoxide complexes [1]. One possible approach in this context is the use of chelating P, O ligands [3]. In the course of current studies with phosphinoalco- hols, we discovered the advantages of the easily accessi- ble limonene-based ligand 1 [4]. The tertiary character of its alcohol function prevents -hydride elimination and enabled us to obtain the stable palladium alkoxide 4. It was prepared in a stepwise approach: first the phosphinoalcohol ligand 1 was introduced by coordina- tion of the phosphine moiety to the metal centre, then the Pd–O bond is created by reaction with a base [3c – f]. The intermediate phosphinoalcohol palladium complex 2 could also be isolated. An interesting feature of this complex is the strong tendency for chelation displayed by the ligand which leads after dissociation of the chloride ion to the formation of a cationic complex in the solid state. This structure is partly retained in solution. 2. Results and discussion 2.1. Synthesis Using a modified literature method we prepared the phosphinoalcohol ligand (1S )-trans -( +)-1-hydroxy-1- methyl-2-diphenylphosphino-4-isopropene-cyclohexane (1), (abbreviated P,OH in the following), which is derived from trans -( +)-limonene oxide [4]. Reaction of 1 with [(dmba)Pd(-Cl)] 2 (dmba =o -C 6 H 4 CH 2 NMe 2 ) in the ratio 2:1 in dichloromethane at room temperature led to the formation of an air-stable complex 2a in 93% yield (see Scheme 1). * Corresponding author. Tel. and fax: +33-388-416030. E-mail address: braunst@chimie.u-strasbg.fr (P. Braunstein). 0022-328X/01/$ - see front matter © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PII:S0022-328X(00)00755-5