NOVEL SYNTHESIS OF BIS(4-METHOXYPHENYLTELLURO)METHANE AND ITS COMPLEXATION WITH PD(II) AND PT(II) - CRYSTAL-STRUCTURE OF [PD((4-CH3OC6H4TE)(2)CH2)CL-2](-) A CHELATE WITH SHORT INTERDONOR LINKAGE

A novel and convenient route for the synthesis of bis(4-methoxyphenylt ellro)methane using one pot reaction of ditelluride, sodium borohydrid e and chloroform is described. The palladium(II) and platinum(II) comp lexes of this ditelluroether ligand were also synthesized. The structu re of the palladium(II) complex was confirmed by X-ray diffraction stu dies. The red complex [Pd((4-CH3OC6H4Te)(2)CH2)Cl-2] crystallizes in m onoclinic space group P2(1)/n with four formulae in the unit cell. The cell dimensions are a = 7.872(3) Angstrom, b = 20.372(2) Angstrom, c = 11.421(3) Angstrom, beta = 100.90(2)degrees, D-c = 2.445(5) g cm(-3) . In the complex, the Pd has distorted square planar geometry around i t, the two Cl atoms are cis to each other and the ditelluroether ligan d behaves in a bidentate mode. This is the first example in which the ligand molecule, through two tellurium atoms linked with a single carb on atom, is chelated to a single metal centre; the interdonor distance between the tellurium atoms is 3.2939(2) Angstrom. The two parallel a ryl rings are almost perpendicular to the square planar geometry on th e same side of the chelate ring. The complex is monomeric with weak as sociation between tellurium and a neighbouring chlorine.