A series of platinum complexes bearing 3-fold symmetrical
“Click”-triazole-based
scorpionate ligands (TtR) has been prepared. Metalation
of these weakly donating ligands results in neutral Pt(II) complexes
that display a κ2 coordination mode. Such complexes
are susceptible to oxidative addition using a variety of electrophilic
alkyl and allyl reagents to generate isolable cationic κ3 Pt(IV) complexes. Protonation of the κ2 precursors
results in Pt(IV) dimethyl hydride cations. Thermolysis of the dimethyl
hydride species at 35 °C in the presence of a trapping π-acid
ligand initiates reductive elimination of methane and formation of
a Pt(II) species of the type [TtPhPtMe(L)][BF4] (L CO, ethylene, propylene, cis-2-butene, trans-2-butene, isobutylene) in good yield. Furthermore,
the κ3 σ-allyl complexes [TtRPt(Ph)2(CH2CHCH2)][I] cleanly undergo
Csp2–Csp2 reductive
coupling to form biphenyl at ambient temperatures. The TtR ligand serves as a homofunctional hemilabile ligand and exhibits
a lower barrier κ3/κ2 interconversion
to generate reactive unsaturated five-coordinate complexes than the
well-studied Tp′PtMe2H complex, which requires thermolysis
at temperatures above 100 °C.