Palladium assisted organic reactions: VI. A new method for the preparation of cyclopalladated benzalimines

A new, improved method is described for the preparation of cyclopalladated benzalimines; it consists of reacting the ortho-bromobenzalimine with bis(dibenzylideneacetone) palladium(0). A number of substituted o-bromobenzalimines has been studied; the bridged bromide dimers and the corresponding bromo (N-substituted benzalimine-6,C,N)triphenylphosphinepalladium(II) complexes have been fully characterised and ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectral data recorded. In the cases of the N-phenylbenzalimines studied, bis(triphenylphosphine) complexes were also isolated and characterised.