Palladium(II) iminophosphine complexes

New complexes of general formula [PdCl2((NP)-P-boolean AND)] (N boolean AND P = o-Ph2PC6H4-CH=N-R; R = Me, Pr-i, Bu-t, NH-Me) and [Pd((NP)-P-boolean AN D)(2)](ClO4)(2) ((NP)-P-boolean AND = o-Ph2PC6H4-CH=N-R; R = Me, Pr-i) have been prepared by directly reacting the precursor PdCl2(PhCN)(2) with imino phosphines ((NP)-P-boolean AND) in 1:1 and 1:2 molar ratios respectively. W hen the chloro-complex [PdCl2(o-Ph2PC6H4-CH=N-i-Pr)] was treated with CF3SO 3Ag in MeCN, the labile complex [Pd(o-Ph2PC6H4-CH=N-i-Pr)(MeCN)(2)](CF3SO3) (2) was obtained in good yield. The reactivity of the new precursor towards a variety of neutral N- and P-donor ligands (py, PMe2Ph, PMePh2, PEt3, bip y, dppe, 2-thpy) has been studied. The new complexes were characterized by partial elemental analyses and by spectroscopy (i.r., H-1- and P-31-n.m.r.) . The molecular structure of the aquo-complex [Pd((NP)-P-boolean AND)(2-thp y)(H2O)](CF3SO3)(2) has been determined by a single-crystal diffraction stu dy, showing that the iminophosphine acts as a chelating ligand with coordin ation around the palladium atom slightly distorted from square-planar geome try.