Hydrido(methyl)carbene Complex of Platinum(IV)

A hydrido(methyl)(carbene)platinum(IV) complex, using a stabilized Arduengo carbene, has been formed and characterized at low temperature by NMR. The electron-rich carbene complex [PtMe 2 {C 3 H 2 N 2 (CH 2 -2-py) 2 }] reacts with MeX (X = I or CF 3 SO 3 ) to give [PtMe 3 {C 3 H 2 N 2 (CH 2 -2-py) 2 }]X and is protonated at low temperature to give [PtHMe 2 {C 3 H 2 N 2 (CH 2 -2-py) 2 }]X, X = CF 3 SO 3, BF 4, or CF 3 CO 2 . At room temperature [PtHMe 2 {C 3 H 2 N 2 (CH 2 -2-py) 2 }] + undergoes irreversible reductive elimination of methane and dimerizes to give a binuclear bis{methyl(carbene)platinum(II)} complex cation [Pt 2 Me 2 {C 3 H 2 N 2 (CH 2 -2-py) 2 } 2 ] 2+ .