Stepwise selective oxidation of tris(2-(diphenylphosphino)ethyl)phosphine on thiolato palladium(II) complexes

One of the equatorially coordinated terminal phosphorus atoms of tris(2-(diphenylphosphino)ethyl)phosphine (pp₃) ligand on the five-coordinate trigonal-bipyramidal palladium(II) complex, Pd(4-Cltp)(pp₃)](BF₄) (4-Cltp = 4-chlorothiophenolate), was selectively oxidized by photolysis to form the four-coordinate square-planar complex. Further selective oxidation of another coordinated terminal phosphorus atom proceeded quantitatively by the substitution reaction with 4-chlorothiophenolate. The solid state structures of these stepwise-oxidized square-planar complexes were determined by X-ray crystal structure analyses, and the structures of the starting trigonal-bipyramidal and the oxidized complexes in solution have been characterized by ³¹P NMR spectroscopy.