Chemical behavior of ortho-hydroquinone-based bis(pyrazol-1-yl)methane ligands in the presence of palladium(II) chloride

The synthesis, structural characterization, and coordination behavior of ditopic ortho-hydroquinone-based bis(pyrazol-1-yl)methane ligands (ortho-(OH)₂C₆H₃-4-CHpz₂, ortho-(OH)₂C₆H₃-4-CH(3-Phpz)₂, and ortho-(OH)₂C₆H₃-4-CH(3-tBupz)₂) with pyrazole, 3-phenylpyrazole, and 3-tert-butylpyrazole as donors are described. The reaction of a soluble PdCl₂-source with ortho-(OH)₂C₆H₃-4-CHpz₂ in acetonitrile yielded the related square-planar N,N-coordinated Pd(II) dichloride complex, whereas treatment of ortho-(OH)₂C₆H₃-4-CH(3-Phpz)₂ or ortho-(OH)₂C₆H₃-4-CH(3-tBupz)₂ with PdCl₂ in acetonitrile resulted in degradation of these ligands. The Pd(II) complexes trans-(3-PhpzH)₂PdCl₂ and trans-(3-tBupzH)₂PdCl₂ were isolated and fully characterized including X-ray diffraction analyses.