Tris(pentafluoroethyl)difluorophosphorane: A Versatile Fluoride Acceptor for Transition Metal Chemistry.

Abstract

Fluoride abstraction from different types of transition metal fluoride complexes [LnMF] (M=Ti, Ni, Cu) by the Lewis acid tris(pentafluoroethyl)difluorophosphorane (C2F5)3PF2 to yield cationic transition metal complexes with the tris(pentafluoroethyl)trifluorophosphate counterion (FAP anion, [(C2F5)3PF3]−) is reported. (C2F5)3PF2 reacted with trans‐[Ni(iPr2Im)2(ArF)F] (iPr2Im=1,3‐diisopropylimidazolin‐2‐ylidene; ArF=C6F5, 1 a; 4‐CF3‐C6F4, 1 b; 4‐C6F5‐C6F4, 1 c) through fluoride transfer to form the complex salts trans‐[Ni(iPr2Im)2(solv)(ArF)]FAP (2 a‐c[solv]; solv=Et2O, CH2Cl2, THF) depending on the reaction medium. In the presence of stronger Lewis bases such as carbenes or PPh3, solvent coordination was suppressed and the complexes trans‐[Ni(iPr2Im)2(PPh3)(C6F5)]FAP (trans ‐2 a[PPh3]) and cis‐[Ni(iPr2Im)2(Dipp2Im)(C6F5)]FAP (cis ‐2 a[Dipp2Im]) (Dipp2Im=1,3‐bis(2,6‐diisopropylphenyl)imidazolin‐2‐ylidene) were isolated. Fluoride abstraction from [(Dipp2Im)CuF] (3) in CH2Cl2 or 1,2‐difluorobenzene led to the isolation of [{(Dipp2Im)Cu}2]2+2 FAP− (4). Subsequent reaction of 4 with PPh3 and different carbenes resulted in the complexes [(Dipp2Im)Cu(LB)]FAP (5 a–e, LB=Lewis base). In the presence of C6Me6, fluoride transfer afforded [(Dipp2Im)Cu(C6Me6)]FAP (5 f), which serves as a source of [(Dipp2Im)Cu)]+. Fluoride abstraction of [Cp2TiF2] (7) resulted in the formation of dinuclear [FCp2Ti(μ‐F)TiCp2F]FAP (8) (Cp=η5‐C5H5) with one terminal fluoride ligand at each titanium atom and an additional bridging fluoride ligand.