Facile synthesis and molecular structure of [Ni(PPh2NHPh)(4)]

NiCl2 . 6H(2)O readily reacts with PPh2NHPh in the presence of zinc dust to yield the homoleptic nickel(0) tetrakis-phosphine complex [Ni(PPh2NHPh)(4) ] (1). 1 crystallises triclinic P (1) over bar (no. 2), with a = 14.656(1), b = 17.124(2), c = 17.424(1) Angstrom, alpha = 95.998(1), beta = 111.845(1 ), gamma = 111.402(1)degrees, V = 3630.04(5) Angstrom(3), Z = 2, R values [ I > 2 sigma(I)]: R1 = 0.0554, all data: wR2 = 0.1720. The nickel atom is co ordinated in a distorted tetrahedral fashion by four phosphorus atoms, rese mbling a compressed tetrahedron along one of the noncrystallographic S-4 ax es.