SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF GROUP-10 METAL-COMPLEXES WITH A NEWTRIFUNCTIONAL ETHER PHOSPHINE - THE X-RAY CRYSTAL-STRUCTURES OF S(2-ETHOXYETHYL)BENZYLPHOSPHINE]DICHLORONICKEL(II) AND ETHOXYETHYL)BENZYLPHOSPHINE]CHLOROPHENYLNICKEL(II)

The syntheses and characterizations of the new trifunctional ligand bi s(2-ethoxyethyl) benzylphosphine (OPO; 1) and some new group 10 metal complexes are described. Reactions of this potentially hemilabile liga nd with the nickel, palladium and platinum chlorides have been studied , resulting in isolation of the series, MCl(2)(OPO)(2), where M = Ni ( 2), Pd (3) or Pt (4). The X-ray crystal structure of 2 shows the metal to have a square planar trans arrangement with n(1)-bonding of the li gand through the phosphorus centre. Compounds 3 and 4 are also trans. The attempted formation of an oxygen/phosphorus chelate with nickel us ing NaBPh(4) resulted in the new complex trans-NiClPh(OPO)(2) (5), whi ch has been shown to be square planar, with trans chloro and phenyl gr oups, by X-ray crystallography. The dibromo analogue of 2 has also bee n prepared (6), from which bromide abstraction has been attempted.