Stoichiometric reactions of methylparathion with a palladium aryl oxime metallacycle

The reaction of [Pd(3)(OAc)(6)] with (E)-acetophenone oxime and pyridine in CHCl(3) under reflux affords the metallacycle [Pd(OAc)[C,N-(C(6)H(4)C(CH(3))=NOH)-2](py)] (1) as a yellow air-stable complex. The same reaction carried out at room temperature in the absence of pyridine affords the trinuclear oximato complex [Pd(mu-(E)-ON=C(CH(3))Ph)(mu-OAc)](3) (2), which can be converted into 1 upon heating in the presence of pyridine. As indicated by (1)H and (31)P NMR spectroscopy, complex 1 reacts with methylparathion in acetone-d(6)-D(2)O solutions to afford [Pd(SP(=O)(OCH(3))(2))[C,N-(C(6)H(4)C(CH(3))=NOH)-2](py)] (3) and [Pd(mu-SP(=O)(OCH(3))(2))[C,N-(C(6)H(4)C(CH(3))=NOH)-2]](2) (4) as well as free p-nitrophenol. Compounds 1-4 have been characterized by single-crystal X-ray analysis, NMR and EA. Compounds 1 and 3 are mononuclear complexes with the acetate and dimethylthiophosphate ligand, respectively, trans from the phenyl group. Compound 2 is a trinuclear complex whose structure can be derived from that of [Pd(3)(OAc)(6)] by replacing three of the acetate ligands on one side of Pd(3) plane by three N,O-coordinated oximate ligands. Complex 4 is a dinuclear complex in which the two square-planar palladium moieties are linked by the sulfur atoms of the bridging dimethylthiophosphate ligands.