Synthesis and reaction chemistry of mixed ligand methylpalladium–carbene complexes

Abstract A variety of methylpalladium carbene complexes of the type [Pd(Me)(carbene)(chelate)] [where carbene=1,3-di-methylimidazol-2-ylidene (dmiy), chelate=acetylacetonate (acac) 1 , trifluoroacetylacetonate (tfac) 2 , hexafluoroacetylacetonate (hfac) 3 ; carbene=1,3,4,5-tetramethylimidazol-2-ylidene (tmiy), chelate=acac, 6 ] have been synthesised and fully characterised. The bis-carbene complexes trans -[Pd(Me)(carbene) 2 Cl] [carbene=dmiy, 7 and tmiy, 8 ] have also been isolated. The unusual cationic complex {[Pd(Me)(dmiy)(cod)] + BF 4 − } 4 , in which there are three distinct Pd–carbon bonds, including cis alkyl/alkene coordination has been prepared and aspects of its chemistry investigated. The complex which slowly decomposes even at −20°C does not react via the expected migratory insertion of the methyl group with the coordinated cod but decomposes via a pathway involving the methyl group and the carbene ligand. Crystal structures of the bis-carbene complex 7 and the chloro-bridged dimer [Pd(Me)(tmiy)Cl] 2 5 reveal square planar coordination. The carbene C 3 N 2 arrays are closely planar, with the ligand planes inclined at significant angles to the coordination planes of the respective complexes. For complex 7 the interplanar dihedral angle is 70.4(3)° and for 5 the angle is 65.07(8)°. Examples of the methylpalladium monocarbene and dicarbene complexes were tested in the Heck reaction and were found to be extremely active with several having turnover frequencies (TOF’s) of >20 000 and total turnover numbers (TON’s) of >100 000.