Nuclearity expansion in Pd clusters triggered by the migration of a phenyl group in cyclooligosilanes

Heptanuclear palladium clusters with six palladium atoms in a planar arrangement were obtained from the reaction of [Pd((CNBu)-Bu-t)(2)](3) with Ph-substituted cyclotetrasilane or cyclopentasilane via the migration of a phenyl group. The molecular structures of these clusters as well as those of two possible intermediates were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses.

Automated summary

Heptanuclear palladium clusters with six palladium atoms arranged in a planar configuration were synthesized through the reaction of [Pd((CNBu)-Bu-t)(2)](3) with Ph-substituted cyclotetrasilane or cyclopentasilane, involving phenyl group migration. The molecular structures of these clusters, as well as two possible intermediates, were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses.