Organosilicon-Based Multifunctional β-Diketones and their Rhodium and Iridium Complexes

Six new organosilicon-based bis-, tris-, and tetrakis(β - diketones) and their Rh I (COD) and Ir I (COD) (COD = 1,5-cyclooctadiene) complexes have been prepared and characterized. The β - diketones, (CH 3 ) 4− n Si(4-C 6 H 4 CH(COR) 2 ) n ( n = 2, 3, 4; R = Me, Et), were prepared from the corresponding aldehydes (CH 3 ) 4− n Si(4-C 6 H 4 CHO) n by reaction with trimethyl phosphite-α-diketone adducts. Reaction with [M(COD)(μ-Cl)] 2 (M = Rh and Ir) produces the Rh and Ir complexes, three of which have been characterized by X-ray analysis. The β-diketone moieties are ca. 13.3 Å apart, which leads to intramolecular M···M distances in the complexes averaging ca. 15.6 Å. The present organosilicon-based route is expected to be useful for the construction of a variety of polytopic molecules containing either β-diketone or other functional groups and polygonal or polyhedral metal complexes based on them.