Cage-Structured Triplatinacyclophanes

Abstract

The synthesis of the tris(triflate) 4 (Scheme 1) has been achieved by means of a straightforward three-step reaction sequence. After initial lithiation of mesitylene, treatment of the obtained trilithium compound C6H3(CH2Li)3 (2) with oxirane results in the formation of 1,3,5-tris(3-hydroxypropyl)benzene (3), which is then transformed to 4 by reaction with (CF3SO2)2O in the presence of pyridine. Whereas 4 reacts with Na2[Os(CO)4] in a somewhat complicated manner, similar reactions with Na[Re(CO)5] and LiPPh2 give the hydrocarbon-bridged tris(rhenium) complex C6H3[(CH2)3Re(CO)5]3 (5) and the tris(phosphane) C6H3[(CH2)3PPh2]3 (6), respectively. Employing the high-dilution method, from 6 and Cl2Pt(NCPh)2 the nanoscaled tri- and hexaplatinacyclophanes 7 and 9 are available. Owing to the optimal geometry and flexibility of the cage in 7, 1,2-dichloroethane can be reversibly encapsulated. The molecular structure of 7 · 7 1,2-Cl2C2H4 was determined by an X-ray structure analysis. The utility of the reactive metal centers in 7 has been demonstrated by replacing the chloro ligands by acetonitrile to give the cationic platinacyclophane 8, in which, according to NMR studies, the cage-like structure is preserved.