A Versatile Approach to Access Trimetallic Complexes Based on Trisphosphinite Ligands

• Main Authors: Juan Miranda-Pizarro, Macarena G. Alférez, M. Dolores Fernández-Martínez, Eleuterio Álvarez, Celia Maya, Jesús Campos
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-01-01
• Series: Molecules
• Subjects: phosphinite; multidentate ligands; polymetallic; supramolecular chemistry; trimetallic; coordination polymer
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/25/3/593

A straightforward method for the preparation of trisphosphinite ligands in one step, using only commercially available reagents (1,1,1-tris(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethane and chlorophosphines) is described. We have made use of this approach to prepare a small family of four trisphosphinite ligands of formula [CH₃C{(C₆H₄OR₂)₃], where R stands for Ph (<b>1a</b>), Xyl (<b>1b</b>, Xyl = 2,6-Me₂-C₆H₃), <i>ⁱ</i>Pr (<b>1c</b>), and Cy (<b>1d</b>). These polyfunctional phosphinites allowed us to investigate their coordination chemistry towards a range of late transition metal precursors. As such, we report here the isolation and full characterization of a number of Au(I), Ag(I), Cu(I), Ir(III), Rh(III) and Ru(II) homotrimetallic complexes, including the structural characterization by X-ray diffraction studies of six of these compounds. We have observed that the flexibility of these trisphosphinites enables a variety of conformations for the different trimetallic species.