Deprotonation Induced Ligand-to-Metal Electron Transfer: Synthesis of a Mixed-Valence Rh(−I,I) Dinuclear Compound and Its Reaction with Dioxygen

Abstract

Treatment of bis(2-picolyl)amine (bpa) with [{Rh(nbd)(mu-OMe)}2] leads to the unexpected and unique redox asymmetric dinuclear Rh-I,Rh+I complex [{Rh(nbd)}2(bpa-2H)] (2) with a pi-coordinating imine bound to a tetrahedral low valent rhodate(-I). Mono-oxygenation of the deprotonated bpa ligand in 2 by O2 leads to the mononuclear carboxamido complex [Rh(nbd)(bpam-H)] (3) (bpam = N-(2-picolyl)picolinamide). The second O atom of O2 ends up as a hydroxo fragment in [{Rh(nbd)(mu-OH)}2].