Bisphosphino ureas: flexible ligands with rigid backbone

The nickel(0) complex [Ni{η2-(PPh2NMe)2CO}{η1-(PPh2NMe)2CO}] 1 was obtained by the reaction of NiCl2·6H2O with two equivalents of the ligand (PPh2NMe)2CO in the presence of zinc as reducing agent. The structure of 1 was unambiguously determined by 1H and 31P–{1H} NMR spectroscopy and compared to the known structures of the extremely strained Pd(II) and Mo(0) complexes of (PPh2NMe)2CO.