The synthetic flavylium salt 7-(N,N-diethylamino)-4'-hydroxyflavylium tetrafluoroborate gives rise in aqueous solution to a complex network of chemical reactions driven by pH. The system was studied by 1H NMR, single crystal X-ray diffraction, steady state and transient UV-Vis spectrophotometry as well as stopped flow. The crystal structure shows a high degree of coplanarity between the pyrylium system and the phenyl group in position 2. Thermodynamic and kinetic constants for the pH dependent network of chemical reactions were obtained. The introduction of an amino group in position 7 allows formation of protonated species leading, in particular, to a tautomeric form of the protonated cis-chalcone, H+, whose absorption spectra is rather red shifted, in comparison with the correspondent protonated trans-chalcone, H+. The H+ species can be rapidly converted into the flavylium cation through a first order process with lifetime of 0.2 s at pH = 2.35. This new reaction channel confers this compound a peculiar behaviour in acidic media, allowing to define an unidirectional pH driven reaction cycle.

The five-coordinate palladium(II) and platinum(II) complexes [M(PP(3))Cl]Cl [M = Pd (1), Pt (2)] (PP(3) = tris[2-(diphenylphosphino)ethyl]phosphine) were prepared by interaction of aqueous solutions of MCl(4)(2-) salts with PP(3) in CHCl(3). Complexes 1 and 2 undergo facile chloro substitution reactions with KCN in 1:1 and 1:2 ratios to afford complexes [M(PP(3))(CN)]Cl [M = Pt (3)] and [M(PP(3))(CN)](CN) [M = Pd (4), Pt (5)] possessing M-C bonds, both in solution and in the solid state. The reaction of 1 and 2 with SnCl(2) in CDCl(3) occurs with insertion of SnCl(2) into M-Cl bonds leading to the formation of [M(PP(3))(SnCl(3))](SnCl(3)) [M = Pd (6), M = Pt (7)]. The isolation as solids of complexes 6 and 7 by addition of SnCl(2) to the precursors requires the presence of PPh(3) which activates the cleavage of M-Cl bonds, favors the SnCl(2) insertion, and does not coordinate to M in any observable extent. Solutions of 6 in CDCl(3) undergo tin dichloride elimination in higher proportion than solutions of 7. The reaction of complexes 1 and 2 with SnPh(2)Cl(2) leads to [M(PP(3))Cl](2)[SnPh(2)Cl(4)] [M = Pd (8)]. Complexes 2, 5, 7, and 8 were shown by X-ray diffraction to contain distorted trigonal bipyramidal monocations [M(PP(3))X](+) [M = Pt, X = Cl(-) (2), X = CN(-) (5), X = SnCl(3)(-) (7); M = Pd, X = Cl(-) (8)], the central P atom of PP(3) being trans to X in axial position and the terminal P donors in the equatorial plane of the bipyramids. The "preformed" catalyst 7 showed a relatively high aldehyde selectivity compared to most of the platinum catalysts.