A Dehydrocoupling Approach Towards Titanocene Iminophosphane Complexes

Abstract

Dehydrocoupling reactions represent a powerful tool for element‐element bonds formation upon H2 elimination. It was shown that transition metals (in low oxidation states or in the form of hydrides) can be coupled with two equivalents of primary pnictanes (R–PnH2; Pn = P, Sb) providing direct access to otherwise elusive η2‐dipnictene (R–Pn=Pn–R) complexes. Herein, we report on the reactivity of the common group IV metallocene precursors Cp2Ti(btmsa) and Cp2Zr(btmsa)(pyridine) (btmsa = C2(SiMe3)2) towards primary pnictanes (R–PnH2 (Pn = P or N) and secondary aminophosphanes (R’P(H)–N(H)R). We found that Cp2Ti(btmsa) reacts with secondary aminophosphanes (R’P(H)–N(H)R) to give η2‐iminophosphane titanocene complexes. The molecular and electronic structure of the new compounds were thoroughly investigated spectroscopically, crystallographically and computationally.