Protonation of palladium(II)-allyl and palladium(0)-olefin complexes containing 2-pyridyldiphenylphosphine

The pendant nitrogen atom of the Ph₂PPy ligand in the Pd(II)-allyl complexes PdCl(η³-2-CH₃-C₃H₄)(Ph₂PPy)] (1) and Pd(η³-2-CH₃-C₃H₄)(Ph₂PPy)₂]BF₄ (3) has been protonated with methanesulfonic acid to afford the corresponding pyridinium salts PdCl(η³-2-CH₃-C₃H₄)(Ph₂PPyH)](CH₃SO₃) (1a) and Pd(η³-2-CH₃-C₃H₄)(Ph₂PPyH)₂](CH₃SO₃)₂(BF₄) (3a).Protonation strongly influences the ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectral parameters of the allyl moieties of 1a and 3a whose signals resonate at lower fields with respect to the parent species indicating that upon protonation Ph₂PPy becomes a weaker σ-donor and a stronger Π-acceptor. The allyl moiety, which in 1 is static, becomes dynamic in 1a, the observed syn-syn and anti-anti exchange being due to deligation of the protonated phosphine from the metal centre. Treatment of complex 3 with diethylamine in the presence of fumaronitrile gives the new Pd(0)-olefin complex Pd(η²-fumaronitrile)(PPh₂Py)₂] (4) which has been characterized by elemental analysis and NMR spectroscopy. Low temperature protonation of 4 with methanesulfonic acid leads to the bis-protonated species Pd(η²-fumaronitrile)(Ph₂PPyH)₂](CH₃SO₃)₂ (4a) which is stable only at temperatures <0 °C.