A Useful Route to Metal Complexes of Poorly Coordinating Sulfonamides

Abstract

We report a synthetic approach towards metal complexes of the poorly coordinating sulfonamide 2-tosylaminomethylaniline (HLTs) that exploits both the good donor capacity of imine N atoms and the hydrolysis of imine ligands mediated by d-block metals. Zn2+, Cd2+ and Pd2+ ions appear to promote the efficient hydrolysis of a coordinated imine ligand (H2LSB) at room temperature, especially in a protic medium. The crystal structures of chiral R-H2LSB and achiral trans-Pd(LTs)2 allow us to compare some conformational changes of the sulfonamide residue after complexation.