Synthesis, Characterization, and Activity of Yttrium(III) Nitrate Complexes Bearing Tripodal Phosphine Oxide and Mixed Phosphine–Phosphine Oxide Ligands

Abstract

A series of four tripodal phosphine oxide ligands, (OPR(2))(2)CHCH(2)POR(2) (1a-1d), and four mixed phosphine-phosphine oxide ligands, (OPR(2))(2)CHCH(2)PR(2) (3a-3d), were synthesized and coordinated to yttrium to produce Y(NO(3))(3)[(OPR(2))(2)CHCH(2)POR(2)] (2a-2d) and Y(NO(3))(3)[(OPR(2))(2)CHCH(2)PR(2)](OPPh(3)) (4a-4d) complexes. The previously reported ligand 1a and unknown phosphine oxide ligands 1b-1d were generated in an unprecedented trisubstitution reaction of bromoacetaldehyde diethyl acetal, while the novel partially reduced ligands 3a-3d were synthesized from 1a-1d according to a known literature protocol for the selective monoreduction of bisphosphine oxides. The neutral yttrium complexes 2a-2d are nine-coordinate and display a tricapped trigonal-prismatic geometry. Complexes 4a-4d are also neutral, nine-coordinate species and have a pendant phosphine functionality, which provides the potential to form bimetallic early-late transition-metal complexes. Additionally, yttrium complexes 2a-2d were activated with base and tested for the ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone, but the results showed that base by itself was significantly more effective than the yttrium species investigated.