Stability and Reactivity of Cyclometallated Naphthylamine Complexes in Pd-C Bond Insertion Reactions with Coordinated Alkynylphosphanes

Phenylbis(phenylethynyl)phosphane PhP(C≡CPh)2 coordinates regiospecifically to the α-methyl-chiral ortho-platinated and -palladated naphthylamine units at the positions trans to the nitrogen donors. The P→Pt coordination bond is kinetically inert, whereas the P→Pd bond is labile. Upon heating of these phosphane complexes at 70 °C, one of the C≡C bonds in the coordinated PhP(C≡CPh)2 was activated towards an intermolecular Pd-C bond insertion reaction with an external ortho-palladated naphthylamine ring. No intramolecular insertion reaction occurred. In contrast to its palladium analogue, the ortho-platinated ring is not reactive towards coordinated PhP(C≡CPh)2, although it can promote the Pd-C bond insertion reaction. However, despite the high kinetic stability of the P→Pt coordination, the organoplatinum unit is a noticeably weaker activator than its organopalladium counterpart. The chirality of the reacting ortho-metallated naphthylamine ligand exhibited high stereochemical influence on the formation of the new stereogenic phosphorus center during the course of these C-C bond-formation reactions. The coordination chemistry and the absolute stereochemistry of the dimetallic products were determined by single-crystal X-ray crystallographic analysis. The asymmetric monoinsertion of PhP(C≡CPh)2 coordinated to a cyclometallated N,N-dimethyl naphthyl/benzylamine template into the Pd-C bonds of N,N-dimethylnaphthylamine palladacycles has been demonstrated for the synthesis of a variety of new P-stereogenic homo- or heterodimetallic complexes. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.