Synthesis and reactivity studies of palladium( ii ) complexes containing the N-phosphorylated iminophosphorane-phosphine ligands Ph 2 PCH 2 P{NP(O)(OR) 2 }Ph 2 (R = Et, Ph): application to the catalytic synthesis of 2,3-dimethylfuran

Reactions of [PdCl2(COD)] with 1 equiv. of the iminophosphorane-phosphine ligands Ph2PCH2P{=NP(=O)(OR)2}Ph2 (R=Et, Ph) lead to the novel Pd(II) derivatives cis-[PdCl2(kappa2-(P,N)-Ph2PCH2P{=NP(=O)(OR)2}Ph2)] (R=Et, Ph). Pd-N bond cleavage readily takes place upon treatment of these species with a variety of two-electron donor ligands. By this way, complexes cis-[PdCl2(kappa1-(P)-Ph2PCH2P{=NP(=O)(OR)2}Ph2)(L)] (R=Et, L=CNtBu, CN-2,6-C6H3Me2, py, P(OMe)3, P(OEt)3; R=Ph, L=CNtBu, CN-2,6-C6H3Me2, py, P(OMe)3, P(OEt)3) have been synthesized in high yields. The addition of two equivalents of ligands to dichloromethane solutions of [PdCl2(COD)] results in the formation of complexes trans-[PdCl2(kappa1-(P)-Ph2PCH2P{=NP(=O)(OR)2}Ph2)2] (R=Et, Ph), which can be converted into the dicationic species [Pd(Ph2PCH2P{=NP(=O)(OR)2}Ph2)2][SbF6]2 (R=Et, Ph) by treatment with AgSbF6. Complex also reacts with CNtBu to afford trans-[Pd(kappa1(P)-Ph2PCH2P{=NP(=O)(OPh)2}Ph2)2(CNtBu)2][SbF6]2. The structures of and have been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction methods. In addition, the ability of these Pd(II) complexes to promote the catalytic cycloisomerization of (Z)-3-methylpent-2-en-4-yn-1-ol into 2,3-dimethylfuran has also been studied.