LAUSR

The reactions of amide functionalized bisphosphine o-Ph2PC6H4C(O)N(H)C6H4PPh2-o (1) with platinum salts are described. Treatment of 1 with [Pt(COD)Cl2] yielded a chelate complex, [PtCl2{o-Ph2PC6H4C(O)N(H)C6H4PPh2-o}κ2-P,P] (2), which on subsequent treatment with LiHMDS formed a novel 1,2-azaphospholene-phosphine complex [Pt(C6H5)Cl{o-C6H4{C(O)N(o-PPh2(C6H4))P(Ph)}}κ2-P,P] (3) involving a tandem P-C bond cleavage and P-N bond formation. The same complex 3 on passing dry HCl gas afforded the dichloro complex [PtCl2{o-C6H4{C(O)N(o-PPh2(C6H4))P(Ph)}}κ2-P,P] (5). Complex 2 upon refluxing in toluene or treatment of 1 with [Pt(COD)Cl2] in the presence of a base at room temperature resulted in the pincer complex [PtCl{o-Ph2PC6H4C(O)N(C6H4PPh2-o)}κ3-P,N,P] (4). Reaction of 1 with [Pt(COD)ClMe] at room temperature also afforded the pincer complex [PtMe{o-Ph2PC6H4C(O)N(C6H4PPh2-o)}κ3-P,N,P] (6). Mechanistic studies on 1,2-azaphospholene formation showed the reductive elimination of LiCl to form a phosphonium salt that readily adds one of the P-C bonds oxidatively to the in situ generated Pt0 species to form a chelate complex 3. The analogous palladium complex [PdCl2{o-C6H4{C(O)N(o-PPh2(C6H4))P(Ph)}}κ2-P,P] (7) showed excellent catalytic activity toward N-alkylation of amines with alcohols with a very low catalyst loading (0.05 mol %), and the methodology is very efficient toward the gram-scale synthesis of many N-alkylated amines.