Synthesis and structural study of (8-phenylsulfanylnaphth-1-yl)diphenylphosphine metal complexes

A series of three platinum(II) halide complexes 2-4 [Pt(X)(2)(Nap(PPh2)(SPh))] (Nap = naphthalene-1,8-diyl: X = Cl, Br, I) and a ruthenium(II) p-cymene complex 5 [Ru(eta(6)-(MeC6H4Pr)-Pr-i)(Cl){Nap(PPh2)(SPh)}]Cl-+(-) of the sterically crowded pen-substituted naphthalene phosphine 1 have been prepared. The compounds were fully characterised by multinuclear NMR. IR and MS and X-ray data for 1-5 are compared. Molecular structures are analysed by naphthalene ring torsions, pert-atom displacement, splay angle magnitude, P center dot center dot center dot S interactions, aromatic ring orientations and geometry around the metal centre. Platinum adopts a strictly square planar geometry which increases the distortion of the naphthalene skeleton in 2-4. Conversely, the classical-piano stool conformation of 5 results in a pseudo-octahedral conformation around the ruthenium atom which influences the naphthalene geometry to a much lesser extent with distortion of a similar magnitude to the free ligand 1. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.