A novel heterobidentate chiral phosphine and its coordination chemistry in transition metal clusters

The optically active ligand R,R-PHAZAN (1,3-bis[(1R)-1-Phenylethyl]-2-(2-thienyl)-1,3,2-diazaphospholane) has been prepared and the products resulting from the reactions with Rh₆(CO)₁₅NCMe, H₃RhOs₃(CO)₁₂, and H₄Ru₄(CO)₁₂ have been investigated by X-ray crystallography and a variety of multinuclear NMR methods. X-ray studies show that PHAZAN can behave as a bidentate ligand in Rh₆(CO)₁₄(μ₂,κ²-R,R-PHAZAN) (with coordination through P and S) or a monodentate ligand (through P coordination) in H₄Ru₄(CO)₁₁(κ¹-R,R-PHAZAN) and NMR studies show that these structures are retained in solution. In Rh₆(CO)₁₄(μ₂,κ²-R,R-PHAZAN), edge-bridging coordination of PHAZAN results in the formation of an additional two novel chiral centres and these are observed in solution. Reaction of PHAZAN with H₃RhOs₃(CO)₁₂ results in cleavage of the thienyl group and formation of the phosphido cluster, H₂RhOs₃(CO)₁₁(μ₂-PNN), (PNN = 1,3-bis-(1-phenylethyl)-[1,3,2]diazaphospholidine-2-yl). A variety of NMR measurements show that the hydride site-occupancies in the solid state are retained in solution and there is evidence for interaction of an ortho-phenyl hydrogen and a hydride through “dihydrogen” bonding.