Competitive aryl-iodide vs aryl-aryl reductive elimination reactions in Pt(IV) complexes: experimental and theoretical studies

The platinum(IV) complex trans-(dmpe)Pt(IV)(Ar)2I2 (2, dmpe = 1,2-dimethylphosphinoethane, Ar = 4-FC6H4) rapidly reacts, upon moderate heating in solution under ambient light, via two distinct pathways: isomerization to the corresponding cis-isomer (3) and Ar-I reductive elimination to give (dmpe)Pt(II)(Ar)I (4). Complex 3 undergoes, upon prolonged heating at high temperatures, an exclusive Ar-Ar reductive elimination reaction to give (dmpe)Pt(II)I2. Experimental and DFT studies showed that the 2-to-3 isomerization proceeds via three pathways: photochemical or thermal phosphine chelate opening and a mechanism involving cleavage of the Pt-I bond. The isomerization reaction is significantly slowed down but not stopped in the absence of light or in the presence of an excess of tetra-n-butylammonium iodide. On the other hand, the Ar-I reductive elimination from 2 proceeds via the Pt(delta+)-I(delta-) ion pairlike transition state. Use of the rigid dmpe analogue 1,2-dimethylphosphinobenzene (dmpbz) as the ligand shuts down the chelate ring-opening isomerization pathway and enables faster Ar-I reductive elimination thus making the latter reaction the major reaction route for the dmpbz supported trans-diiodo Pt(IV) complex 8.