Synthesis and comparative X-ray diffraction study of first ruthenocene-based pincer palladium complexes, PdCl[{2,5-(But 2PCH2)2C5H2}Ru(Cp′)] (Cp′ = C5H5 or C5Me5)

First ruthenocene-based palladium complexes PdCl[{2,5-(Bu^t ₂PCH₂)₂C₅H₂} Ru(Cp′)] (Cp′ = C₅H₅ (4) or C₅Me₅ (5)) were synthesized. Comparative single-crystal X-ray diffraction study of complexes 4 and 5 showed that the deviations of the cyclopentadienyl rings in these complexes from being parallel are 2.6 and 10.1°, respectively. In addition, the shift of the palladium atom relative to the plane of the metallated cyclopentadienyl ligand is 0.007 Å for 4 and 0.336 Å for 5. These differences in the structures of complexes 4 and 5 are due to close contacts between the pseudoequatorial tert-butyl groups at the phosphorus atoms and the unmetallated cyclopentadienyl ring. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 11, pp. 1879–1884, November, 2006.