Platinum(II) and Palladium(II) Halides and Pseudohalides with the Ligand Tri(1‐cyclohepta‐2, 4, 6‐trienyl)phosphane. X‐Ray Structural Analysis of [P(C7H7)2(η2‐C7H7)]PtI2

Tri(1‐cyclohepta‐2, 4, 6‐trienyl)phosphane, P(C₇H₇)₃ ( 1 ) (P] when coordinated to a metal) stabilizes platinum(II) ( 2 ) and palladium(II) dihalides ( 3 ) as P]MX₂ with X = Cl ( a ), Br ( b ) and I ( c ). The phosphane coordinates to the metal as a chelate ligand via both phosphorus and the central η²‐C=C bond of one of the cyclohepta‐2, 4, 6‐trienyl rings. The complexes were prepared by various routes, mainly by the reaction of (cod)MCl₂ (cod = cycloocta‐1, 5‐diene) with 1 to give the chlorides 2a and 3a , which then could be converted into the bromides 2b , 3b or the iodides 2c , 3c by reaction with NaBr or NaI, respectively. The molecular structure of 2c was determined by X‐ray analysis. Treatment of 2a and 3a with sodium or potassium salts of several pseudohalides afforded the complexes P]MX₂ 2d (NCO/NCO), 2e₁ (NCS/SCN), 2e₁' (SCN/NCS), 2f₂ (SeCN/SeCN), 3f₁ (NCSe/SeCN), 2g and 3g (X = N₃). Attempts failed to synthesize the cyanides 2h and 3h by the same route. By using an excess of trimethylsilyl cyanide in the reaction with 2a in THF solution, the complex trans‐{(C₇H₇)₃P]₂Pt(CN)₂} ( 4h ) was obtained instead of 2h . The analogous complexes trans‐{(C₇H₇)₃P]₂MX₂} with M = Pt ( 4 ) and Pd ( 5 ) for X = Cl ( a ), Br ( b ), I ( c ) could be prepared from the reaction of the corresponding tetrahalogenometallates and 1 (in the case of 5c from PdI₂ and 1 ). In contrast to 4h , the complexes 4a‐c and 5a‐c were found to be labile in solution with respect to partial loss of the phosphane 1 and rearrangement into 2a‐c and 3a‐c , respectively. All compounds were characterized by IR spectroscopy and by multinuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H, ¹³C, ³¹P, ⁷⁷Se and ¹⁹⁵Pt NMR). The ligand P] in 2 and 3 is fluxional with regard to coordination of the C₇H₇ rings to the metal.