Rhodium and iridium complexes containing the anion of 1-phenyl-3-methyl-4-benzoyl- pyrazolone-5, a sophisticated analogue of β-diketones

Several (diolefin)M(A) complexes (M = Rh, Ir) were prepared, where AH is 1-phenyl-3-methyl- 4-benzoylpyrazolone-5, a very stable asymmetric analogue of acetylacetone. In these complexes the diolefin could be replaced by one mole of (Ph₂PCH₂CH₂)₂, two of CO or of PPh₃, or three of CNBu^t, while 1,10-phenanthroline displaced the chelating ligand to yield (cyclooctadiene)Rh(phen)]⁺ (A)^?. Some compounds X?Y (X?Y = iodine or MeI) added oxidatively yielding the corresponding trivalent species. Using ³¹P NMR spectra the presence of the expected steric isomers was detected in (Ph₃P)(CO)Rh(A) and in (Ph₃P) (CO)Rh(A)(X)(Y).