In Situ Synthesis of Neutral Dinuclear Rhodium Diphosphine Complexes [{Rh(diphosphine)(μ2-X)}2]: Systematic Investigations

• Published in: ChemPlusChem (Weinheim, Germany) Germany), 2015-01, Vol.80 (1), p.169-180
• Main Authors: Meißner, Antje, Preetz, Angelika, Drexler, Hans-Joachim, Baumann, Wolfgang, Spannenberg, Anke, König, Anja, Heller, Detlef
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: cations; ligand effects; P ligands; rhodium; solvent effects
• ISSN: 2192-6506; 2192-6506
• DOI: 10.1002/cplu.201402213

As the workhorses for many applications, neutral dimeric μ2‐X‐bridged diphosphine rhodium complexes of the type [{Rh(diphosphine)(μ2‐X)}2] (X=Cl, OH) are usually prepared in situ by the addition of diphosphine ligands to the rhodium complex [{Rh(diolefin)(μ2‐X)}2] (diolefin=cyclooctadiene (cod) or norbornadiene (nbd)) or [{Rh(monoolefin)2(μ2‐Cl)}2] (monoolefin=cyclooctene (coe) or ethylene (C2H4)). The in situ procedure has been investigated for the diphosphines 2,2′‐bis(diphenylphosphino)‐1,1′‐binaphthyl (BINAP), 5,5′‐bis(diphenylphosphino)‐4,4′‐bi‐1,3‐benzodioxole (SEGPHOS), 5,5′‐bis[di(3,5‐xylyl)phosphino]‐4,4′‐bi‐1,3‐benzodioxole (DM‐SEGPHOS), 5,5′‐bis[di(3,5‐di‐tert‐butyl‐4‐methoxyphenyl)phosphino]‐4,4′‐bi‐1,3‐benzodioxole (DTBM‐SEGPHOS), 2,2′‐bis(diphenylphosphino)‐1,1′‐dicyclopentane (BICP), 1‐[2‐(diphenylphosphino)ferrocenyl]ethyldi‐tert‐butylphosphine (PPF‐PtBu2), 1,1′‐bis(diisopropylphosphino)ferrocene (DiPPF), 1,2‐bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane (DPPE), 1,2‐bis(o‐methoxyphenylphosphino)ethane (DIPAMP), 4,5‐bis(diphenylphosphinomethyl)‐2,2‐dimethyl‐1,3‐dioxalane (DIOP), 1,2‐bis(2,5‐dimethylphospholano)benzene (Me‐DuPHOS), 1,4‐bis(diphenylphosphino)butane (DPPB), and 1,3‐bis(diphenylphosphino)propane (DPPP); the resulting complexes have been characterized by 31P NMR spectroscopy and, in most cases, also by X‐ray analysis. Depending on the diphosphine ligand, the solvent, the temperature, and the rhodium precursor, species other than the desired one [{Rh(diphosphine)(μ2‐X)}2] are formed, for example, [(diolefin)Rh(μ2‐Cl)2Rh(diphosphine)], [Rh(diphosphine)(diolefin)]+, [Rh(diphosphine)2]+, and [Rh(diphosphine)(diolefin)(Cl)]. The results clearly show that the in situ method commonly applied for precatalyst preparation cannot be regarded as an optimal strategy for the formation of such neutral [{Rh(diphosphine)(μ2‐X)}2] complexes. Rh revisited: The commonly applied in situ method for the preparation of neutral Rh complexes of the type [{Rh(PP)(μ2‐X)}2] by addition of diphosphine ligand (2 equiv) to different rhodium precursors might not be as straightforward and selective as generally thought. The outcome is strongly affected by the nature of the diolefin present in the ancillary (diphosphine) ligand, the catalyst precursor, the solvent, and the temperature (see figure).