Specific synthesis of a series of Ir-containing homo- and heterodinuclear complexes with the PNNP
(3,5-bis((diphenylphosphino)methyl)pyrazolato) and PNNN ligands (3-(diphenylphosphino)methyl-5-pyridylpyrazolato) is reported. Reaction of the PNNX-H precursors (X = P, N) with [Ir(cod)2]BF4 gives
pale yellow precipitates, which are characterized as the cyclic dimers of the 1:1 adduct, [(μ-κ1(P):
κ2(N,X)-PNNX-H)Ir(cod)]2(BF4)2 (X = P, N). In the case of the PNNN system, subsequent sequential
treatment of the 1:1 adduct with NEt3 and a second metal reagent ([M(L)(cod)]BF4: M(L) = Rh(cod),
Pd(allyl)) (reaction 1) gives [(cod)Ir(PNNN)M(L)]BF4, whereas the reversed addition of the reagents
(reaction 2) furnishes [(L)M(PNNN)Ir(cod)]BF4, the regioisomer with the switched metal arrangement.
Selective preparation of the heterodinuclear PNNP complexes [(cod)Ir(PNNP)M(L)]BF4 requires the
addition according to reaction 1. In reaction 1 of the 1:1 dinuclear adduct of the PNNN system, deprotonation of the N−H part triggers interligand migration of the Ir(cod) fragment from the N,N site of one
ligand to the P,N site of the other ligand to give [(cod)Ir(PNNN)]BF4, which reacts with the second
metal fragment at the N,N site to furnish [(cod)Ir(PNNN)M(L)]BF4. On the other hand, reaction 2 involves
dissociation of the dinuclear species into the mononuclear N,N-coordinated one, [(PNNN-H)Ir(cod)]BF4,
and subsequent interaction at the free P moiety followed by deprotonation and coordination gives the
other regioisomer. These intriguing transformations result from the unique coordination properties of Ir
(cationic vs neutral, hard vs soft, 5- vs 4-coordination, N,N vs P,N chelation), which are controlled by
the deprotonation−protonation procedure. As a result of the present study, a library for Ir-containing
homo- and heterodinuclear Ir(I) complexes with the PNNP and PNNN ligands has been constructed.