Preparation and properties of sandwiched trinuclear palladium(II) complexes with tridentate phosphine and phosphine sulfide ligands

The central phosphino group of tripodal tetradentate tris2-(diphenylphosphino)ethyl]phosphine (pp₃) was selectively oxidized by the reaction with diethyl disulfide to give tridentate phosphine ligand pOp₃. The terminal phosphino groups were reacted with sulfur to give pOp₃ trisulfide (pOp₃S₃). Three palladium(II) ions were sandwiched in the two pOp₃ and pOp₃S₃ ligands to form the trinuclear complexes with three trans(P) and trans(S) PdX₂ (X = Cl, Br, I) moieties, respectively. The tripodal triphosphine, 1,1,1-tris(diphenylphosphinomethyl)ethane (i-p₃), and its mono- and tri-sulfide, which have shorter carbon chains compared with pOp₃, form the mononuclear dichloro palladium(II) complexes with cis(P) and cis(S) geometries. Difference in the catalytic activity for the C–C coupling reaction was discussed in connection with the coordinated groups and geometries of the complexes.