Arylphosphanide complexes of the alkaline-earth metals magnesium, calcium, strontium, and barium of the formula (THF)nM[P(H)Ph]2 and formation of potassium diphenylphosphinomagnesiates

The reaction of diethylmagnesium with diphenylphosphane yields (THF)Mg(Et)PPh 2] infinity ( 1; THF = tetrahydrofuran) with bridging PPh 2 ligands and average Mg-P bond lengths of 262.2 pm. The metalation reaction of MgEt 2 with HPPh 2 and H 2PPh with a 1:2 stoichiometry gives (THF) 4Mg(PPh 2) 2] ( 2) and (THF) 6Mg 4{P(H)Ph} 8] ( 3), respectively. Tetranuclear 3 contains three chemically different phenylphosphanide groups with characteristic P-H stretching frequencies at 2261, 2286, and 2310 cm (-1). The metathesis reaction of potassium phenylphosphanide with CaI 2 yields oligomeric (THF) 3CaP(H)Ph] 2 ( 4). A similar reaction with SrI 2 and BaI 2 gives polymeric (THF) 2Sr{P(H)Ph} 2] infinity ( 5) and (THF)Ba{P(H)Ph} 2] infinity ( 6), respectively, showing one stretching frequency at 2285 cm (-1). These compounds crystallize polymeric with bridging phenylphosphanide substituents. The addition of Et 2O to a mixture of KPPh 2 and Mg(PPh 2) 2 in THF initiates the crystallization of (Et 2O)K(THF)Mg(PPh 2) 3] ( 7) with a strand structure and (Et 2O) x(THF) yK 2Mg(PPh 2) 4] ( 8) with a layer structure depending on the stoichiometry. The crystals of 8 easily lose THF and Et 2O and, therefore, the content of these ethers varies. Recrystallization of 8 from hot 1,4-dioxane (diox) yields (diox) 2K 2Mg(PPh 2) 4] ( 9) with a layer structure comparable to that of 8. The central structural units are eight-membered K 2Mg 2P 4 rings that are interconnected by P-K-P bridges. In a THF solution, the magnesiates 7- 9 dissociate into the homometallic derivatives KPPh 2 and Mg(PPh 2) 2, as can be seen from NMR experiments.