Stabilization of dimethyliron(II) and methylcobalt(I) complexes bearing a hemilabile 2-benzoylpyridine ligand in octahedral and square-pyramidal coordination

Octahedral cis-Fe(CH3)(2){2-(benzoyl)pyridyl-N,O}(PMe3)(2) (1), square-pyramidal Co(CH3){2-(benzoyl)pyridyl-N,O}(PMe3)(2) (2), and triangular- planar Ni{2-(benzoyl)pyridyl-eta(2)-C,O}(PMe3)(2) (3) have been synthesized by reaction of 2-benzoylpyridine with thermally labile Fe(CH3)(2)(PMe3)(4) and Co(CH3)(PMe3)(4) complexes. With Ni(CH3)(2)(PMe3)(3), reductive elimination of ethane is observed when a eta(2)-C, O-coordination is constituted. The complexes were investigated by NMR spectroscopic methods and the molecular structures of 1 and 2 were determined by X-ray crystallography. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.