Diastereomeric Complexes Research Articles

Electronic structure and reactivity of nickel(i) pincer complexes: their aerobic transformation to peroxo species and site selective C-H oxygenation.

The study is aimed at a deeper understanding of the electronic structure of the T-shaped nickel(i) complex [LigiPr(iso)Ni] (1b), bearing the iso-PyrrMeBox (bis(oxazolinylmethylidene)pyrrolidinido) pincer ligand, and its CO adduct [LigiPr(iso)Ni(CO)] (2b) as well as to provide insight into the mechanism of autoxidation of the different nickel peroxo species of this ligand type. CO was found to react reversibly with complex 1b resulting in the corresponding CO adduct 2b. The EPR data as well as the results of DFT modeling revealed significant differences in the electronic structure of 1b and 2b. Reaction of [LigPh(iso)Ni] and [LigiPr(iso)Ni] (1a and b) with dioxygen yielded the 1,2-μ-peroxo complexes [Lig(iso)NiO]23a and b which reacted with hydrogen peroxide to give the hydroperoxo complexes [Lig(iso)NiOOH] 5a and b. Thermal aerobic decomposition of the peroxo species 3a and 5a in the presence of O2 led to a C-H activation of the ligand at the benzylic position of the oxazoline ring forming diastereomeric cyclic peroxo complexes 6 and 6'. For the 1,2-μ-peroxo complex 3b the autoxidation of the pincer in the absence of O2 occurred at the tertiary C-H bond of the iPr-group and led to a selective formation of the terminal hydroxo complex [LigiPr(iso)NiOH] 7b and the cyclic alkoxy complex 8 in equimolar quantities, while the corresponding cyclic peroxo species 9 was formed along with 7b in the presence of oxygen. Whether or not O-O bond cleavage occurred in the generation of 9 was established upon performing labeling experiments which indicate that the transformation does not involve an initial O-O bond cleaving step. Based on these observations and a series of stoichiometric transformations a tentative proposal for the processes involved in the anaerobic and aerobic decomposition of 3b has been put forward. Finally, the nickel(ii) methyl complex [LigPh(iso)NiMe] 14 reacted with O2 to give the methylperoxo complex [LigPh(iso)NiOOMe] 15 which slowly converted to a mixture of near equal amounts of the formato and the hydroxo complexes, [LigPh(iso)NiOOCH] 16 and [LigPh(iso)NiOH] 7a, along with half an equivalent of methanol. The formato complex 16 itself decomposed at elevated temperatures to CO2, dihydrogen as well as the nickel(i) species 1a.

Chiral separation of new designer drugs (Cathinones) on chiral ion-exchange type stationary phases

We present the enantioseparation of new designer drugs from the cathinone family on structurally different chiral ion-exchange type stationary phases. A novel strong cation-exchange type chiral stationary phase was synthesized and its performance compared with previously reported ion-exchange type chiral stationary phases. The influence of structural elements of the chiral selectors on their chromatographic performance was studied and the possibilities of tuning chromatographic parameters by varying the polarity of the employed mobile phases were determined. Evidence is provided that a change in mobile phase composition strongly influences the solvation shell of the polarized and polarizable units of the selectors and analytes, as well as ionizable mobile phase additives. Furthermore, the structural features of the selectors (e.g. the size of aromatic units and their substitution pattern) are shown to play a key role in the effective formation of diastereomeric complexes with analytes. Thus, we have achieved the enantioseparation of all test analytes with a mass spectrometry-compatible mobile phase with a chiral strong cation-exchange type stationary phase.

Chiral resolution of salbutamol in plasma sample by a new chiral ligand-exchange chromatography method after its extraction with nano-sized imprinted polymer

A new chromatographic procedure, based upon chiral ligand-exchange principal, was developed for the resolution of salbutamol enantiomers. The separation was carried out on a C18 column. (l)-Alanine and Cu(2+) were applied as chiral resolving agent and complexing ion, respectively. The kind of copper salt had definitive effect on the enantioseparation. Density functional theory (DFT) was used to substantiate the effect of various anions, accompanying Cu(2+), on the formation of ternary complexes, assumed to be created during separation process. The DFT results showed that the anion kind had huge effect on the stability difference between two corresponding diastereomeric complexes and their chemical structures. It was shown that the extent of participation of the chiral selector in the ternary diastereomeric complexes formation was managed by the anion kind, affecting thus the enantioseparation efficiency of the developed method. Water/methanol (70:30) mixture containing (l)-alanine-Cu(2+) (4:1) was found to be the best mobile phase for salbutamol enantioseparation. In order to analyze sulbutamol enantiomers in plasma samples, racemic salbutamol was first extracted from the samples via nano-sized salbutamol-imprinted polymer and then enantioseparated by the developed method.

Origins of stereoselectivity in evolved ketoreductases

Mutants of Lactobacillus kefir short-chain alcohol dehydrogenase, used here as ketoreductases (KREDs), enantioselectively reduce the pharmaceutically relevant substrates 3-thiacyclopentanone and 3-oxacyclopentanone. These substrates differ by only the heteroatom (S or O) in the ring, but the KRED mutants reduce them with different enantioselectivities. Kinetic studies show that these enzymes are more efficient with 3-thiacyclopentanone than with 3-oxacyclopentanone. X-ray crystal structures of apo- and NADP(+)-bound selected mutants show that the substrate-binding loop conformational preferences are modified by these mutations. Quantum mechanical calculations and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are used to investigate the mechanism of reduction by the enzyme. We have developed an MD-based method for studying the diastereomeric transition state complexes and rationalize different enantiomeric ratios. This method, which probes the stability of the catalytic arrangement within the theozyme, shows a correlation between the relative fractions of catalytically competent poses for the enantiomeric reductions and the experimental enantiomeric ratio. Some mutations, such as A94F and Y190F, induce conformational changes in the active site that enlarge the small binding pocket, facilitating accommodation of the larger S atom in this region and enhancing S-selectivity with 3-thiacyclopentanone. In contrast, in the E145S mutant and the final variant evolved for large-scale production of the intermediate for the antibiotic sulopenem, R-selectivity is promoted by shrinking the small binding pocket, thereby destabilizing the pro-S orientation.

A comparative study of diastereomeric complexes formed by a prochiral substrate and three structurally analogous chiral molecules on Pt(111)

A comparative study of chemisorbed bimolecular diastereomeric complexes formed by three structurally analogous chiral modifiers and a prochiral substrate on Pt(111) was performed using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and density functional theory (DFT) methods. The experiments determine, subject to a number of assumptions, the abundant binding configurations and whether the complexed substrate is organized into pro-S or pro-R states. The overall prochiral ratio (pr) estimated in this manner may be compared in each case to literature values for the enantiomeric ratio (er) observed in catalysis experiments. The experiments were performed using ketopantolactone as the substrate and (R)-1-(1-naphthyl)ethylamine, (R)-N-Methyl-1-(1-naphthyl)ethylamine and (R)-1-naphthyl-1,2-ethanediol as the structurally analogous chiral modifiers. The STM measurements were performed at room temperature to better mimic conditions under which the catalytic studies reported in the literature were performed. The results are discussed in terms of the stereochemical effects of subtle modifications of the structure of the chiral modifier.

Enantiospecific adsorption of cysteine on a chiral Au34 cluster

The interaction of biological molecules like chiral amino acids with chiral metal clusters is becoming an interesting and active field of research because of its potential impact in, for example, chiral molecular recognition phenomena. In particular, the enantiospecific adsorption (EA) of cysteine (Cys) on a chiral Au55 cluster was theoretically predicted a few years ago. In this work, we present theoretical results, based on density functional theory, of the EA of non-zwitterionic cysteine interacting with the C3-Au34 chiral cluster, which has been experimentally detected in gas phase, using trapped ion electron diffraction. Our results show that, indeed, the adsorption energy of the amino acid depends on which enantiomers participate in the formation Cys-Au34 chiral complex. EA was obtained in the adsorption modes where both the thiol, and the thiol-amino functional groups of Cys are adsorbed on low-coordinated sites of the metal cluster surface. Similarly to what was obtained for the Cys-Au55 chiral complex, in the present work, it is found that the EA is originated from the different strength and location of the bond between the COOH functional group and surface Au atoms of the Au34 chiral cluster. Calculations of the vibrational spectrum for the different Cys-Au34 diastereomeric complexes predict the existence of a vibro-enantiospecific effect, indicating that the vibrational frequencies of the adsorbed amino acid depend on its handedness.

Chiral (2-cyanophenoxy)methyl-15-crown-5 in diastereomeric discrimination of amino acid esters according to the data of electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

The ability of [(2-cyanophenoxy)methyl]-15-crown-5 lariat ether enantiomers to diastereomeric discrimination with respect to hydrochlorides of 1-phenylethylamine and methyl esters of alanine, phenylalanine, and phenylglycine was studied by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The mentioned crown ether is available in non-racemic form owing to the procedure of preferential crystallization of enantiomers of its precursor. The quantitative estimation of the differences in the formation of diastereomeric complexes between the crown ether and the guests was performed by two independent methods: application of the guests with isotopic markers and using an additive of achiral amine-displacer. Both approaches indicate the existence of a moderate chiral discrimination: The (S)-enantiomer of the crown ether binds prevailingly the (S)-enantiomer of the guest, and vice versa.

D‐ and L‐Mannose‐Containing glyco‐­Oligoamides Show Distinct Recognition Properties When Interacting with DNA

AbstractMannose glyco‐oligoamide β‐D‐Man‐Py‐γ‐Py‐Ind (β‐D‐Man, 1) and two new glyco‐oligoamides, β‐L‐Man‐Py‐γ‐Py‐Ind (β‐L‐Man, 2) and 6‐deoxy‐β‐D‐Man‐Py‐γ‐Py‐Ind (6‐deoxy‐β‐D‐Man, 3), have been designed and synthesized to investigate the role of hydrogen‐bonding cooperative donor centres of carbohydrates in their recognition by DNA. The free‐ and bound‐state geometries were studied, as were the affinities of the D and L enantiomers of the mannose glyco‐oligoamides (1 and 2) for DNA polymers [ct‐DNA and poly(dA‐dT)2]. TR‐NOESY and DF‐STD experiments for the diastereomeric complexes formed with DNA allow the asymmetric centres of the sugar residue that are close to the inner and outer regions of the DNA minor grooves to be distinguished. A C→N hairpin folding in β‐L‐Man derivative 2 was observed, with the α face of the sugar close to the indole ring. The C‐2 and C‐3 centres are orientated towards the inner region of the DNA minor groove. The affinity data for poly(dA‐dT)2 indicate that there is a chiral discrimination process, with β‐L‐Man derivative 2 being the best ligand. 6‐Deoxy‐β‐D‐Man derivative 3 forms the least stable complexes with DNA. Molecular dynamics simulations of β‐L‐Man derivative 2 in complex with a double‐strand dodecamer d(AT)12 are in agreement with the experimental NMR spectroscopic data. Thus, the cooperative donor centre 2‐OH in the L‐mannose enantiomer is a key contributor to the stability of the 2·poly(dA‐dT)2 complex.

Chiral Polymers of Intrinsic Microporosity: Selective Membrane Permeation of Enantiomers

AbstractFollowing its resolution by diastereomeric complexation, 5,5′,6,6′‐tetrahydroxy‐3,3,3′,3′‐tetramethyl‐1,1′‐spirobisindane (TTSBI) was used to synthesize a chiral ladder polymer, (+)‐PIM‐CN. (+)‐PIM‐COOH was also synthesized by the acid hydrolysis of (+)‐PIM‐CN. Following characterization, both (+)‐PIM‐CN and (+)‐PIM‐COOH were solvent cast directly into semipermeable membranes and evaluated for their ability to enable the selective permeation of a range of racemates, including mandelic acid (Man), Fmoc‐phenylalanine, 1,1′‐bi‐2‐naphthol (binol), and TTSBI. High ee values were observed for a number of analytes, and both materials exhibited high permeation rates. A selective diffusion–permeation mechanism was consistent with the results obtained with these materials. Their high permeability, processability, and ease of chemical modification offer considerable potential for liquid‐phase membrane separations and related separation applications.

Chiral polymers of intrinsic microporosity: selective membrane permeation of enantiomers.

Following its resolution by diastereomeric complexation, 5,5',6,6'-tetrahydroxy-3,3,3',3'-tetramethyl-1,1'-spirobisindane (TTSBI) was used to synthesize a chiral ladder polymer, (+)-PIM-CN. (+)-PIM-COOH was also synthesized by the acid hydrolysis of (+)-PIM-CN. Following characterization, both (+)-PIM-CN and (+)-PIM-COOH were solvent cast directly into semipermeable membranes and evaluated for their ability to enable the selective permeation of a range of racemates, including mandelic acid (Man), Fmoc-phenylalanine, 1,1'-bi-2-naphthol (binol), and TTSBI. High ee values were observed for a number of analytes, and both materials exhibited high permeation rates. A selective diffusion-permeation mechanism was consistent with the results obtained with these materials. Their high permeability, processability, and ease of chemical modification offer considerable potential for liquid-phase membrane separations and related separation applications.

Chiral Recognition Studies of α-(Nonafluoro-tert-butoxy)carboxylic Acids by NMR Spectroscopy.

Three chiral α-(nonafluoro-tert-butoxy)carboxylic acids (R)-1, (RS)-2, (R)-3 were synthesized to examine their application as chiral solvating agents with amines. As a model compound, first (S)- and/or (RS)-α-phenylethylamine was used, and their diastereomeric salts were investigated by (1)H and (19)F NMR and ECD spectroscopy. The NMR spectroscopic studies were carried out at room temperature using the slightly polar CDCl3 and apolar C6D6 as solvents in 5 mM and 54 mM concentrations. The difference of the chemical shifts (Δδ) in the diastereomeric complexes is comparable with other, well-known chiral derivatizing and solvating agents (e.g., Mosher's acid, Pirkle's alcohol). Diastereomeric salts of racemic acids (RS)-1 and (RS)-2 with biologically active amines (1R,2S)-ephedrine and (S)-dapoxetine were also investigated by (19)F NMR spectroscopy.

Asymmetric synthesis of diarylmethane derivatives by dynamic kinetic resolution

Asymmetric allylation of ortho-methoxydiphenylmethane has been carried out with high yields and ee of up to 94% using the chiral ligand (−)-sparteine as an additive. Results of reactions performed under various conditions suggest that a dynamic kinetic resolution of two rapidly interconverting diastereomeric complexes is occurring.

Dynamic covalent binding and chirality sensing of mono secondary amines with a metal-templated assembly

The recognition and analysis of mono-functionalized organics is an intensive area of research in organic chemistry. Toward this end, an in situ-generated metal-templated dynamic multi-component covalent assembly for the reversible binding and chirality sensing of mono secondary amines is presented. The reaction of pyridine-2-carboxyaldhyde, di(2-picolyl)amine, zinc triflate, tetrabutylammonium chloride, and a series of secondary amines, affords tripodal aminal zinc complexes. The dynamic nature of the system was demonstrated by component exchange of both amines and aldehydes. The equilibrium can be modulated by changing counteranions, concentrations, as well as structural feature of the amines. The competition between two iminium pathways resulted in a unique distribution of components. Due to the enantiotopicity of iminiums, decent diastereoselectivity was observed for chiral secondary amines. The resulting diastereomeric helical complexes were employed for the determination of enantiomeric excess with high accuracy.

Chiral recognition of abacavir enantiomers by (2-hydroxy)propyl-β-cyclodextrin: UHPLC, NMR and DFT studies

The diastereomeric complexation of both abacavir (ABA) and its enantiomer (ABAE) with (2-hydroxy)propyl-β-cyclodextrin (2HPβCD) with a degree of substitution of seven was studied. The apparent binding constants of diasteromeric complexes, ABA-2HPβCD and ABAE-2HPβCD were determined by ultra high-pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) and found to be 517.0 and 684.4 M−1 respectively. The stoichiometry of the complexes was determined by UHPLC and by the continuous variation method using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy giving 1:1 complexes. The apparent binding constants decrease as the temperatures increases. The observed enantio-differentiation was analyzed theoretically by density functional theory at the PBE/6-31 g** level using a polarizable continuous model (PCM) for solvent effects, the most stable complexes are the ones in which the chiral cyclopentenyl moiety is included in the cavity of CD and the protonated purine ring interact with the hydroxypropyl groups of 2HPβCD. The differences in stability of diasteromeric complexes, due to different intermolecular interactions are consistent with experimental data, providing further insights in the formation of inclusion complexes.

Chiral sensing by nonchiral tetrapyrroles.

Enantiomeric excess (ee) is a measure of the purity of an enantiomer of a chiral compound with respect to the presence of the complementary enantiomer. It is an important aspect of chemistry, especially in the fields of pharmaceuticals and asymmetric catalysis. Existing methods for determination of enantiomeric excesses using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy mostly rely on special chiral reagents (auxiliaries) that form two or more diastereomeric complexes with a chiral compound. As a result of this, the NMR spectrum of each enantiomer is different, allowing the determination of enantiomeric excess. In this Account, we describe a molecular design process that has allowed us to prepare prochiral solvating agents for NMR determination of ee of a wide variety of analyte types. At the outset of this work, we initially encountered the phenomenon of NMR peak splitting in the oxoporphyrinogen (OxP) host component of a supramolecular host-guest complex, where the extent of the splitting is apparently proportional to the guests' ee. Upon closer examination of the mechanism of action, it was found that several complicating factors, including prototropic tautomerism, macrocyclic inversion (ring-flipping), and 1:2 host-guest stoichiometry, obstruct potential applications of OxP as a chiral solvating agent. By considering the molecular conformation of the OxP host, a saddle-shaped calix[4]pyrrole, we moved to study the tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP) dication since it has a similar form, and it was found that it could also be used to probe ee. However, although TPP does not suffer from disadvantageous tautomeric processes, it is still subject to macrocyclic inversion and has the additional serious disadvantage of operating for ee sensing only at depressed temperatures. The intrinsic disadvantages of the OxP and TPP systems were finally overcome by covalently modifying the OxP chromophore by regioselective N-alkylation at one face of the molecule. This procedure yields a host Bz2OxP that undergoes 1:1 host-guest interactions, cannot be protonated (and so does not suffer drawbacks due to tautomeric processes), and can interact solely through hydrogen bonding with a much wider range of analyte types, including acids, esters, amines (including amino acid derivatives), and ketones, for the determination of their ee at room temperature. Chiral sensing, in this case, can be understood by considering the breakdown of the host's symmetry when it interacts with a chiral guest under fast exchange. Furthermore, chirality discrimination (i.e., which is the major enantiomer in a sample) can be performed by addition of a small amount of one of the known enantiomers. Adaptation of a symmetrical molecule for ee sensing presents certain intrinsic advantages, including identical binding constants of each enantiomer. Our results indicate that other symmetrical molecules might also be useful as NMR probes of enantiopurity. These systems could provide insights into important chirality principles such as majority rule, intermolecular chirality transfer, and asymmetric reactions. The Bz2OxP system is also of note from the point of view that it does not rely on the formation of diastereomers.

Analytical aspects of achiral and cyclodextrin-mediated capillary electrophoresis of warfarin and its two main derivatives assisted by theoretical modeling

Several distinct analytical issues have been addressed by performing capillary electrophoresis-based separations of the warfarin, 7-hydroxywarfarin and 10-hydroxywarfarin in an achiral and cyclodextrin-containing media. The measurements were conducted across a range of pH in order to find optimum conditions for achiral and chiral separations. The values of acid dissociation constant (pKa) have been determined and compared. Subsequently, after performing a series of mobility shift assays at different pH and cyclodextrin concentration, the pKa values ascribed to diastereomeric complexes with methyl-β-cyclodextrin have been estimated. The significant pKa shifts upon complexation have been noticed for warfarin – up to 1.5 pH units, and only subtle for 10-hydroxywarfarin. A new approach that allows the estimation of association percentage based on the electrophoretic mobility curves has been also demonstrated. The complex mechanism of chiral separation has been found to be responsible for the observed migration profile, relying on a combined equilibrium between complexation/partition and protonation/deprotonation phenomena. The occurrence of the pKa-related migration order reversal has been demonstrated in achiral medium between warfarin and 7-hydroxywarfarin, and in chiral medium between enantiomers, causing a drop in enantioselectivity at specific pH. In parallel, the density functional theory-based calculations have been performed in order to obtain the structures of warfarin and its derivatives as well as to rationalize the shifts in pKa values.

Complexation of (RS)-benzhexol with β-cyclodextrin: structure elucidation of diastereomeric complexes by use of quantitative 1H-1H ROESY and computational methods

The structural aspects of the complexation of (R)- and (S)-benzhexol with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) were explored using quantitative rotating-frame overhauser effect spectroscopy (ROESY) analysis and molecular mechanics (MM) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Several modes of penetration of phenyl ring, studied by MM2 minimizations, confirmed preference for wide side entry. MD simulations were performed through wider side only and interproton distances between phenyl ring of benzhexol (BEN) and β-CD cavity obtained from lowest energy structures were used to calculate relative ROESY peak intensities. The structures for which calculated intensities were found in better agreement with experimental were then fine-tuned to obtain proposed structures. The results show that highly symmetrical cyclodextrin should be used for computational studies and kept static throughout the simulation. The energy should not be taken as the only criterion for final selection but a comparison of calculated ROESY intensity ratios with experimental ratios is better. The results also imply that ROESY peak intensity ratios can be used for quantitative purposes even with higher mixing time.

A foldable cyclic oligomer: chiroptical modulation through molecular folding upon complexation and a change in temperature.

A foldable cyclic oligomer 1 consisting of three terephthalamide units spaced with a 3-fold o-phenylene unit presented a dynamic pair of enantiomeric forms through molecular folding, to which the external chirality on a ditopic guest [(S,S)-2 or (R,R)-2] was supramolecularly transferred to prefer a particular sense of dynamic helicity [(M,M)-/(P,P)-1 and (M,M,P)-/(P,P,M)-1]. In the macrocycle, the terephthalamide units acted as exotopic binding sites to fold into helical forms upon complexation. The internal chirality associated with a host [(R,R,R,R,R,R)-1b] had no preference in a helical sense in the absence of a guest. Instead, the internal chirality was responsible for the signal modulation that it was cooperatively or competitively transferred in response to the external chirality on a guest (S,S)-2 or (R,R)-2. During the diastereomeric complexation, a particular sense of dynamic helicity was favored due to cooperative transmission of chirality when the helical preference was matched between the host and guest. Alternatively, the host complexed with an antipodal guest underwent a drastic change in conformation upon a change in temperature.

A Case Study on the Resolution of the 1‐i‐Butyl‐3‐methyl‐3‐phospholene 1‐Oxide via Diastereomeric Complex Formation Using TADDOL Derivatives and via Diastereomeric Coordination Complexes Formed from the Calcium Salts of O,O′‐Diaroyl‐(2R,3R)‐tartaric Acids

ABSTRACTThe resolution of 1‐i‐butyl‐3‐methyl‐3‐phospholene 1‐oxide was studied applying TADDOL [(−)‐(4R,5R)‐4,5‐bis(diphenylhydroxymethyl)‐2,2‐dimethyldioxolane], spiro‐TADDOL [(−)‐(2R,3R)‐α,α,α′,α′‐tetraphenyl‐1,4‐dioxaspiro[4.5]decan‐2,3‐dimethanol], or the acidic and neutral Ca2+ salts of (−)‐O,O′‐dibenzoyl‐ and (−)‐O,O′‐di‐p‐toluoyl‐(2R,3R)‐tartaric acid as the resolving agent. The absolute configuration of the P‐asymmetric center was determined by circular dichroism spectroscopy and related quantum chemical calculations. In one instance, the single crystal of the diastereomeric complex incorporating i‐butyl‐3‐phospholene oxide and spiro‐TADDOL was subjected to X‐ray analysis, which suggested a feasible hypothesis for the efficiency of the resolution process under discussion that may be an example for the “solvent‐inhibited” resolution.

Asymmetric synthesis of a chiral diarsine ligand via a cycloaddition reaction between 3,4-dimethyl-1-phenylarsole and diphenylvinylarsine

The organopalladium complex containing ortho-metallated (S)-[1-(dimethylamino)ethyl]naphthalene as a chiral auxiliary has been successfully employed to promote the asymmetric cycloaddition reaction between 3,4-dimethyl-1-phenylarsole and diphenylvinylarsine. In the intramolecular cycloaddition reaction, a pair of separable diastereomeric palladium complexes was obtained in the ratio of 6:1. The chiral naphthylamine auxiliary could be removed chemoselectively from the template by treatment with HCl and subsequently NaI to generate the neutral diiodo complex [(As–As)PdI2]. Treatment of the diiodo complex with KCN gave the enantiomerically pure As–As bidentate ligand in quantitative yield. In contrast to the reported similar P–P and As–P analogues, both arsenic donors in the diiodo complex could be readily eliminated to produce a structurally novel dimetallic complex.