Coinage metal tris(dialkylamido)imidophosphorane complexes as transmetallation reagents for cerium complexes.

We report the synthesis of tetrameric Cu(i) and Ag(i) homoleptic complexes supported by the tris(piperidinyl)imidophosphorane [NP(pip)] and [NP(1,2-bis-Bu-diamidoethane)(NEt)] ligands. These complexes demonstrate the redox stability of the imidophosphorane ligands to oxidizing salts, and the silver complexes can, in turn, serve as oxidative transmetallation reagents for the isolation of tetravalent cerium complexes from cerium metal or trivalent cerium precursors.