Rhodium(I) carbonyl complexes with α-diimine ligands containing amino or hydroxy substituents

-Diimines, RN:C(R)C(R):NR(LL) derived from glyoxal, GLL (R=H) abbreviated as GAA (R= R=4-dimethylaminophenyl) or GHA (R= R=4-hydroxyphenyl), and derived from biacetyl, BLL (R=Me) abbreviated as BDH (R=R= NH₂), BOH (R=NH₂, R=OH) react with carbonylrhodium(I) compounds to give different products depending on the imino substituents in the ligand and/or the solvent employed. The reaction of -diimines bearing amino groups, such as GAA or BDH with [RhCl(CO)₂]₂ in acetone yields binuclear [RhCl(CO)₂]₂(-LL) while in CH₂Cl₂ ionic [Rh- (CO)₂(LL)]⁺[RhCl₂(CO)₂]^– species are obtained. In acetone [RhCl(CO)₂]₂(-GAA) exists as an equilibrium mixture between two different neutral binuclear species; [Rh(CO)₂(BDH)]⁺ exists as a mixture of two species containing chelate or monodentate bonded diimine respectively. GAA or BDH react in situ with [RhCl(CO)(C₂H₄)]₂ in benzene to yield tetracoordinated monocarbonylated [RhCl(CO)(LL)] compounds. -Diimines (LL) bearing hydroxy groups, such as GHA or BOH react with [RhCl(CO)₂]₂ or [RhCl(CO)(C₂H₄)]₂ to give pentacoordinated dicarbonylated [RhCl(CO)₂(LL)] compounds.