The clean reaction of 5-lithio-6-(diisopropylphosphino)acenaphthene
with dichlorophosphines RPCl2 gives the peri-substituted phosphino-phosphonium salts [Acenap(PiPr2)(PR)]+Cl– (2, R = Ph; 3, R = Fc; 4, R = NMe2; 5, R = iPr; Acenap = acenaphthene-5,6-diyl).
Their ionic structure is maintained in solution and in the solid state.
The reduction of 2 and 3 with LiAlH4 led to the formation of mixed tertiary/secondary chelating
bis(phosphines) Acenap(PiPr2)(PRH) (6 and 7), which were subsequently reacted with
PtCl2(cod) to give the complexes [(6)/(7)PtCl2] (8 and 9). Reaction
of 2 and 3 with a large excess of MeOTf
at elevated temperature gave the chiral 1,2-diphosphoniums [Acenap(PiPr2)(PRMe)]2+([TfO]−)2 (10 and 11), which were reduced
with LiAlH4 to the heteroleptic bis(phosphines) Acenap(PiPr2)(PRMe) (12 and 13); these were then reacted with [(nor)Mo(CO)4] to give
the complexes [(12)/(13)Mo(CO)4] (14 and 15). The heteroleptic bis(phosphines) 6, 7, 12, and 13 display
large through-space couplings (formally 4
J
PP = 163–199 Hz), comparable in magnitude to 1
J
PP couplings observed in phosphino-phosphonium
salts 2–5 (303–412 Hz). Single-crystal
X-ray structures of 2, 3, 7–9, 14, and 15 are
reported.