New monocationic methylpalladium(II) compounds with several bidentate nitrogen-donor ligands: synthesis, characterisation and reactivity with CO

Two series of methylpalladium(II) compounds with mono and bidentate nitrogen-donor ligands, namely [Pd(N-N)₂(CH₃)][X] (N-N=phen (1a), dm-phen (1b) (dm-phen=4,7-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline), tm-phen 1c (tm-phen=3,4,7,8-tetramethyl-1,10-phenanthroline); X=OTf, PF₆ ⁻) and [Pd(N-N)(L)(CH₃)][OTf] (N-N=phen and L=py (1ad) (py=pyridine), N-N=phen and L=2-Ph-py (1ae) (2-Ph-py=2-phenyl-pyridine), N-N=phen and L=BzQ (1af) (BzQ=7,8-benzoquinoline), N-N=tm-phen and L=BzQ (1cf)), have been synthesised and fully characterised both in solid state and in solution. The crystal structures of [Pd(phen)₂(CH₃)][PF₆] and [Pd(phen)(2-Ph-py)(CH₃)][OTf] show a square planar coordination geometry for palladium with the monodentate ligand (one phen molecule plays this role in 1a) bound to the metal with its plane almost perpendicular to the coordination plane. In both structures the PdN bond length trans to the methyl is remarkably affected by its trans influence. The behaviour in solution is characterised for the first series of compounds by a dynamic process which makes the two N-N ligands equivalent, as corroborated by the ¹⁵N NMR analysis: only one averaged signal is shown for all of the four nitrogen atoms. No fluxional process is present for the compounds of the second series, and three main crosspeaks are shown in the ¹⁵N-¹H HMQC spectra. In particular, the signal of the ¹⁵N trans to the methyl group has a typical chemical shift, which differs from those of two ¹⁵N trans to each other. Both series of complexes are reacted with carbon monoxide and the reaction products are studied by ¹H NMR spectroscopy and, when possible, by isolating the acyl derivatives. The products of this reaction are affected by the nature of the second molecule of N-ligand.