The first use of tri(1-naphthyl)phosphine oxide as ligand for rhenium(I)- complexes from phosphine via a one-pot approach

Abstract

Tri(1-naphthyl)phosphine oxide (Np3P=O) coordinated complexes fac-[{Re(CO)3(Np3P=O)}2L] (1-2) were prepared from tri(1-naphthyl)phosphine (Np3P), H2-L (2,5-dihydroxy-1,4-benzoquinone for 1/chloranilic acid for 2), and Re2(CO)10 in a multi-component one-pot approach. A hard Np3P=O was formed in situ from soft Np3P during the reaction process. The solid state structure of 2 reveals that chloranilato is sandwiched between two naphthyl units, controlled by both aromatic π⋅⋅⋅π⋅⋅⋅π- and Cl⋅⋅⋅π- contacts. This is the first report on metal-complexes of tri(1-naphthyl)phosphine oxide.