Synthesis and coordination chemistry of perfluoroalkylated dithiophosphate ligands

Dithiophosphoric acids [HS2P(OC2H4CnF2n+1)2] (n = 4, 6) have been prepared in high yields. Deprotonation and reaction with transition metal substrates affords fluorous metal complexes which have been characterised by elemental analysis, mass spectrometry, IR and NMR spectroscopies. The structures of [Cu{S2P(OC2H4CnF2n+1)2}(PPh3)2] (n = 4, 6) and [Cu{-S2P(OC2H4C4F9)2}(PPh3)]2 have been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction.