2-(1-(Dimethylamino)ethyl)phenylpalladium(II) complexes 5-functionalized with fluorous silyl tails

New fluorous-organometallics based on the chiral ligand α-methyl-N,N-dimethylbenzylamine (TMBA) were prepared by treatment of fluorous silyl bromide reagents with in situ 4-lithiated TMBA to give fluorous N,N-dimethyl(α-methyl-4-trialkylsilylbenzyl)amine ligands 1a–1c that vary in the number of fluorous tails attached to the Si atom. Ligands 1a–1c were successfully cyclo-palladated by treatment with Pd(OAc)2/LiCl in methanol to furnish the corresponding chloride-bridged dimeric arylpalladium(II) complexes 2a–2c in good yields. The latter derivatives could be converted into monomeric Lewis-base adducts by complexation with pyridine (3a–3c), or triphenylphosphine (4a–4c). The crystal structure of triphenylphosphine complex 4a has been elucidated. To probe their fluorophilicity, the partition coefficient of each of the derivatives in the fluorous biphasic solvent (FBS) system perfluoromethylcyclohexane/n-octane has been determined.