Coordination studies of the ferrocenyl phosphine selenide ligand FcCON(CH2CH2PPh2Se)2

The oxidation of the ferrocenyl phosphine ligand FcCON(CH2CH2PPh2)2 with elemental selenium leads to the synthesis of the ferrocenyl phosphine selenide FcCON(CH2CH2PPh2Se)2 (L1). The coordination chemistry of this ligand with group 11 metals and palladium has been studied, and several complexes with coordination of the metal to the selenium atoms have been prepared. The ligand L1 reacts with pentafluorophenyl gold(I) or gold(III) species leading to the complexes [{Au(C6F5)}2(μ-L1)] or [{Au(C6F5)3}2(μ-L1)], respectively. The reaction of two equivalents of L1 with silver(I) or copper(I) salts gives the tetra-coordinate complexes [M(L1)2]X (M = Cu, X = PF6; Ag, X = OTf), or with trans-[PdCl2(NCPh)2] affords the square planar palladium derivative [PdCL2(L1)]. The ligand L1 and the gold(I) complex [{Au(C6F5)}2(μ-L1)] have been characterized by X-ray diffraction.