Steric control over the formation of cis and trans bis-chelated palladium(II) complexes using a new series of flexible N,P pyridyl-phosphine ligands.

The deprotection of phosphonium chloride salts [PR2(CH2OH)2]+Cl- and subsequent condensation reaction with N-methyl-2-aminopyridine has been carried out to give a series of ligands of the form PR2CH2N(CH3)C5H4N (R=Ph , Cy , t-Bu ) which have been fully characterised either as the pure ligand () or the air stable borane adducts (R=Cy , t-Bu ). The 1:1 reactions of , and with PdCl2(COD) gave the N,P chelate complexes [Pd{PR2CH2N(CH3)C5H4N}Cl2]; the Cy () and t-Bu () complexes were characterised by X-ray crystallography. The bisligated species [Pd{PCy2CH2N(CH3)C5H4N}2Cl2] () was obtained when the reaction was carried out at higher temperatures and the ligands were found to be coordinated to the metal in a trans configuration through the phosphorus donors. Abstraction of the chlorides from the bis-ligated species , using silver salts, resulted in the coordination of the pyridine ring forming the bis-chelate complex [Pd{PCy2CH2N(CH3)C5H4N}2]2+. In comparison, the palladium bis-chelate complex of ligand [Pd{PPh2CH2N(CH3)C5H4N}2]2+ () was shown to form in a cis configuration and was fully characterised by X-ray crystallography.