Syntheses, spectral and structural studies of Schiff base complexes of η5-pentamethylcyclopentadienyl rhodium and iridium

The compounds [(eta(5)-C5Me5)M(mu-Cl)Cl}(2)] where M = Rh (1) and Ir (2) react with N,N'-donor chelating ligands, viz., para-substituted N-(pyrid-2-ylmethylene)phenylamines (2-PP) in methanol-acetone to afford the pentamethylcyclopentadienyl rhodium (III) and iridium (III) derivatives of the type [(eta(5)-C5Me5)MCl(C5H4N-2-CH=N-C6H4-P-X](+) (M = Rh, 3; M = Ir, 4), where C5Me5 = pentamethylcyclopentadienyl; X = H (3a, 4a), CH3 (3b, 4b), OCH3 (3c, 4c), Cl (3d, 4d), NO, (3e, 4e), respectively. These compounds were characterized by FT-IR and FT-NMR spectroscopy as well as analytical data. The molecular structures of the tetrafluoroborate salt of [(eta(5)-C5Me5)RhCl(C5H4N-2-CH=N-C6H4-P-Cl)](+) (3d) and hexafluorophosphate salt of [(eta(5)-C5Me5)IrCl(C5H4N-2-CH=N-C6H4-P-NO2)](+) (4e) were established by single crystal X-ray diffraction studies. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.