Orthomercurated and cycloaurated derivatives of the iminophosphorane Ph3P=NPh

Ortho-lithiation of Ph-3=NPh followed by reaction with HgCl2 gave good yields of [Hg{C6H4(PPh2=NPh)-2}Cl], 3, which was characterised spectroscopically and by an X-ray crystal structure determination. This is an isomer of the product of direct mercuration of Ph3P=NPh which occurs on the N-bonded phenyl ring [J. Vicente, J.A. Abad, R. Clemente, J. Lopez-Serrano, M.C. Ramirez de Arellano, P.G. Jones, D. Bautista, Organometallics, 22 (2003) 4248]. Transmetallation of 3 with [AuCl4](-) gave the corresponding cycloaurated complex [Au{kappa(2)-C,N-C6H4(PPh2=NPh)-2}Cl-2] with a five-membered metallocyclic ring incorporating four different elements. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.