COORDINATION CHEMISTRY OF OCTAMETHYL-5,5'-DI(2-PYRIDYL)FERROCENE

The platinum complex [{PtCl2(C2H4)}(2)(dpf) 1 [dpf* = octamethyl-5,5' -di(2-pyridyl)ferrocene] has been obtained by the reaction of dpf wit h K[PtCl3(C2H4)]. The reaction of dpf with [Cu(NCCH3)(4)](+)[BF4](-) afforded the copper complexes [Cu(dpf)](+) [BF4](-) 2 and [Cu(dpf*)]( +)[CuCl2](-) 3 as well as the ferrocenium salt [dpf](+)[BF4](-) 4, de pending on the stoichiometry. The crystal structures of 1-4 have been determined by X-ray diffraction. The dpf acts as a bridging ligand in the case of 1 and as a irans-chelating ligand in 2 and 3, which conta in near-linear two-co-ordinate copper centres. Complex 3 shows a remar kably short, ligand-unsupported Cu-I ... Cu-I contact [281.0(2) pm]. A cyclovoltammetric study of 2 revealed an unprecedentedly high anodic shift of the half-wave potential of the ferrocene moiety upon co-ordin ation of Cu+ by dpf.