Symmetrical and unsymmetrical pincer complexes with group 10 metals: synthesis via aryl C-H activation and some catalytic applications

Aryl-based pincer metal complexes with anionic terdentate ligands have been widely applied in organic synthesis, organometallic catalysis and other related areas. Synthetically, the most simple and convenient method for the construction of these complexes is the direct metal-induced C-aryl-H bond activation, which can be fulfilled by choosing the appropriate functional donor groups in the two side arms of the aryl-based pincer preligands. In this perspective, we wish to summarize some results achieved by our group in this context. Successful examples include symmetrical chiral bis(imidazoline) NCN pincer complexes with Ni(II), Pd(II) and Pt(II), bis(phosphinite) and bis(phosphoramidite) PCP pincer Pd(II) complexes, unsymmetrical (pyrazolyl) phosphinite, (amino) phosphinite and (imino) phosphinite PCN pincer Pd(II) complexes, chiral (imidazolinyl) phosphinite and (imidazolinyl) phosphoramidite PCN pincer complexes with Ni(II) and Pd(II) as well as unsymmetrical (oxazolinyl) amine and (oxazolinyl) pyrazole NCN' pincer Pd(II) complexes. Among them, the P-donor containing complexes are efficiently synthesized by the one-pot phosphorylation/metalation method. The obtained symmetrical and unsymmetrical pincer complexes have been used as catalysts in Suzuki-Miyaura reaction (Pd), asymmetric Friedel-Crafts alkylation of indole with trans-beta-nitrostyrene (Pt) as well as in asymmetric allylation of aldehyde and sulfonimine (Pd). In the Suzuki couplings conducted at 40-50 degrees C, some unsymmetrical Pd complexes exhibit much higher activity than the related symmetrical ones which can be attributed to their faster release of active Pd(0) species resulting from the hemilabile coordination of the ligands. Literature results on the synthesis of some related pincer complexes as well as their activities in the above catalytic reactions are also presented.