Group 11 metal complexes with unsymmetrical bifunctional ferrocene ligands

Abstract

The reactions of two unsymmetrical PN (L1) and PP (L2) ferrocene (Fc) ligands towards group 11 metal complexes were studied. Ligand L1 shows different behavior with the three metals. Gold forms mononuclear derivatives with the metal center coordinated to the phosphorus atom, whereas the reactions with silver(I) or copper(I) complexes afford mononuclear or dinuclear compounds in which both donor atoms, phosphorus and nitrogen, are involved in the coordination to the metal center. The reactions of the diphosphine ligand [Fc(CHPPh)(PPh)] (L2) with gold(I), gold(III), silver(I), or copper(I) complexes afford mono-, di-, or trinuclear derivatives. Some homo- and heterodinuclear compounds were obtained through the reactions of the mononuclear gold(III) complex [Au(CF){Fc(CHPPh)(PPh)}] (6), in which one of the phosphorus atoms is free, with gold(I), gold(III), and silver(I) deriiivatives. Some of these derivatives were characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis.