The thermal isomerisation of some four co-ordinate square planar complexes of palladium and platinum with phosphine ligands

Thermally induced cis—trans isomerisation is reported for square planar complexes of the type MX₂L₂, M = Pd or Pt, L = organophosphorus ligand and X = halide. However, the palladium dichloro-phenyldimethyl complex provides another example of the more unusual trans—cis isomerisation. A number of phosphine complexes of platinum have been vacuum-distilled, in some cases with accompanying isomerisation. The tendency for such isomeric behaviour is interpreted in terms of variation in metal to phosphorus bond strength.