Various coordination modes of the bis(di(o-N,N-dimethylanilinyl)phosphino)methane ligand in mononuclear and binuclear complexes of group 8 and group 9 metals.

The synthesis and characterization of a series of compounds involving the bis(di(o-N,N-dimethylanilinyl)phosphino)methane (dmapm) ligand are described. The mononuclear complexes [MCl(CO)(P,N-dmapm)] (M = Rh, Ir) have a square-planar geometry in which the dmapm ligand chelates via a phosphine functionality and an adjacent amino group. The carbonyl ligand lies opposite the amine, while the chloro ligand is trans to the phosphine. The related complex [RhI(CO)(P,N-dmapm)] has also been prepared. All compounds are highly fluxional by at least three independent processes, as discussed for the rhodium-chloro species. A diiridium complex, [Ir(2)Cl2(CO)2(P,N,P',N'-dmapm)], and the closely related rhodium/iridium analogue, [RhIrCl2(CO)2(P,N,P',N'-dmapm)], have been prepared in which the metals are bridged by the diphosphine group while an amino group at each end of the diphosphine is also coordinating to each metal on opposite faces of the MIrP2 plane (M = Ir or Rh). For the Ir2 species, the carbonyl and chloro groups are again shown to be opposite the amine and phosphine functionalites, respectively. The mononuclear complex [Ru(CO)3(P,P'-dmapm)] has also been prepared. In contrast to the mononuclear species of rhodium and iridium, the dmapm group chelates the ruthenium center through both phosphorus atoms, occupying one axial and one equatorial site of Ru in a distorted trigonal bipyramidal geometry. Reaction of this Ru species with 1/2 equiv of the complexes [RhClL2]2 (L2 = COD, (C2H4)2, (CO)2) yields the unstable Rh/Ru product [RhRuCl(CO)3(P,N,P',N'-dmapm)].