Stepwise, ring-closure synthesis and characterization of a homoleptic palladium(II)-pyrazolato cyclic trimer

A triangular homoleptic complex, [Pd(mu-3-Ph-pz)(2)](3), is prepared by the stepwise formation of an open-chain trimer and subsequent ring-closure; D-3 molecular symmetry results from the one-directional arrangement of the unsymmetrically substituted pyrazolato ligands; the palladium atoms are held in close proximity, with Pd-Pd distances of 2.997(1)-3.087(1) Angstrom.