Synthesis, Molecular and Crystal Structures of the Pt2Cl6(PPh3)2 Complex

The synthesis and crystal structure are described of new bimetallic platinum complex Pt2Cl6(PPh3)2 (1) obtained by partial reduction of hexachloroplatinic acid H2PtCl6 in the presence of triphenylphosphine and sodium hydrocarbonate in tetrahydrofuran. The complex is isolated as an intermediate reaction product. It is found that the crystal structure of complex 1 contains two platinum atoms in different coordination environments: Pt1 has the square planar geometry and Pt2 is a distorted tetragonal bipyramid. It is indicative of the presence of platinum in mixed oxidation states (II/IV). The molecules are packed mainly by C–H⋯Cl interactions in the crystal, as confirmed by the analysis of Hirshfeld surfaces and 2D fingerprints. The data obtained expand our knowledge about the intermediate products of H2PtCl6 reduction and can be useful for understanding the mechanisms of homogeneous catalysis based on platinum complexes, particularly in hydrosilylation and silicone vulcanization reactions.