Regioselective C-F and C-H bond activation:: synthesis and structure of an asymmetric rhodium complex comprising a η5:η1:η1-cyclopentadienyl-bis(phosphine) ligand

The reaction between [(eta(5)-C5Me4H)RhBr(mu-Br)](2) and (C6F5)(2)PCH2CH2P(C6F5)(2) proceeds in refluxing benzene via the cleavage of two C-F and C-H bonds and the formation of two C-C bonds to give the unexpected asymmetric compound [{eta(5)-C5HMe2-3,4-[CH2C6F4P(C6F5)CH2](2)-1,2}RhBr]Br with high selectivity. The formulation has been confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.