STRUCTURE OF [RHCL(H)((C6H5)2PCH2P(C6H5)2)2][B(C6H5)4] - RHODIUM(III) HYDRIDO COMPLEX CONTAINING CHELATING BIS(DIPHENYLPHOSPHINO)METHANE LIGANDS

The reaction of the anionic species [RhCl2(CO)2]- with bis(diphenylphosphino)methane (DPM) yields two different products depending on the DPM:Rh molar ratio. An X-ray crystallographic study of the product, obtained with a 2:1 molar ratio of DPM:Rh, proved it to be [RhCl(H)((C6H5)2PCH2P(C6H5)2)2] [B(C6H5)4], a monomeric species containing chelating DPM ligands and mutually trans chloro and hydrido ligands. The complex crystallizes in the space group C2h5-P21/c in a cell of dimensions a=19.477 (2) Å, b=15.266 (2) Å, c=22.282 (2) Å, and β=106.85 (1)° with Z=4. On the basis of 6832 unique reflections the structure was refined by full-matrix, least-squares techniques to agreement indices of R=0.064 and Rw=0.084. Some relevant metric parameters are Rh-P(av)=2.329 (3) Å, Rh-Cl=2.465 (2) Å, Rh-H(1)=1.51 (7) Å, P(1)-Rh-P(2)=72.47 (6)°, P(3)-Rh-P(4)=72.43 (7)°, and H(1)-Rh-Cl=172 (3)°. The [formula omitted] chelate frames are not planar, having the methylene groups approximately 0.338 (7) Å out of their respective P-Rh-P planes. © 1979, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.