Notes
Organometallics, Vol. 15, No. 13, 1996 3089
Ta ble 1. Selected Dista n ces (Å) for
substantially and significantly longer than those in the
PPh2 moiety (1.898 Å vs 1.832 Å for the present,
dissymmetric molecule).
(Me3CCH2)2In P (t-Bu )2In (CH2CMe3)2P P h 2
(A) Indium-Phosphorus Distances
The In-C bond lengths within the In(CH2CMe3)2
systems average 2.191 Å and may be compared with
those in [(Me3CCH2)2InP(t-Bu)2]2 (average 2.213 Å)2 or
in [(Me3CCH2)2InPPh2]3 (average 2.196 Å).4 The inter-
ligand angles are C(11)-In(1)-C(21) ) 121.5(2)° and
C(31)-In(2)-C(41) ) 130.5(2)° (average 126.0°) and are
much larger than those found in [(Me3CCH2)2InP(t-
Bu)2]2 (average 115.2°).2 The change in C-In-C angles
is likely the result of a reduction from four bulky tert-
butyl groups in [(Me3CCH2)2InP(t-Bu)2]22 to only two in
the present dissymmetric molecule. Dihedral angles are
83.2° between the C(11)-In(1)-C(21) and P(3)-In(1)-
P(4) planes and 89.3° between the C(31)-In(2)-C(41)
and P(3)-In(2)-P(4) planes.
In(1)-P(3)
In(1)-P(4)
2.674(1)
2.685(1)
In(2)-P(3)
In(2)-P(4)
2.689(1)
2.710(1)
(B) Indium-Carbon Distances
In(1)-C(11)
In(1)-C(21)
2.193(5)
2.174(5)
In(2)-C(31)
In(2)-C(41)
2.197(4)
2.200(4)
(C) Phosphorus-Carbon Distances
P(3)-C(51)
P(3)-C(61)
1.897(4)
1.898(5)
P(4)-C(71)
P(4)-C(81)
1.833(4)
1.830(5)
(D) Cross-Ring Contacts
4.028 P(3)‚‚‚P(4)
In(1)‚‚‚In(2)
3.631
Ta ble 2. Selected An gles (d eg) for
(Me3CCH2)2In P (t-Bu )2In (CH2CMe3)2P P h 2
(A) Angles around Indium Atoms
P(3)-In(1)-P(4)
82.8(1) P(3)-In(2)-P(4)
106.3(2) P(3)-In(2)-C(31)
114.8(2) P(3)-In(2)-C(41)
98.6(1) P(4)-In(2)-C(31)
125.4(1) P(4)-In(2)-C(41)
82.1(1)
114.8(1)
107.6(1)
108.2(1)
101.7(1)
The physical properties of 1 are unique when com-
pared with those of the symmetrical indium phosphides
from which it was prepared. As the properties are
compared, it should be noted that (Me3CCH2)2InP(t-
P(3)-In(1)-C(11)
P(3)-In(1)-C(21)
P(4)-In(1)-C(11)
P(4)-In(1)-C(21)
2
C(11)-In(1)-C(21) 121.5(2) C(31)-In(2)-C(41) 130.5(2)
Bu)2 is a dimer in the solid state and in benzene
solution according to NMR studies. The solubility of
[(Me3CCH2)2InP(t-Bu)2]2 in benzene was insufficient for
a cryoscopic molecular study. In contrast, (Me3CCH2)2-
(B) Angles around Phosphorus Atoms
In(1)-P(3)-In(2)
In(1)-P(3)-C(51)
In(1)-P(3)-C(61)
In(2)-P(3)-C(51)
In(2)-P(3)-C(61)
C(51)-P(3)-C(61)
97.4(1) In(1)-P(4)-In(2)
111.6(2) In(1)-P(4)-C(71)
110.4(1) In(1)-P(4)-C(81)
116.2(1) In(2)-P(4)-C(71)
110.8(1) In(2)-P(4)-C(81)
109.9(2) C(71)-P(4)-C(81)
96.6(1)
126.9(1)
102.5(1)
107.5(1)
121.1(1)
103.9(2)
4
InPPh2 exists as a trimer in the solid state and as a
monomer-dimer equilibrium mixture in benzene solu-
tion. Compound 1 decomposes at 171-173 °C. Both
starting compounds also decompose rather than melt.
The decomposition temperature of [(Me3CCH2)2InP(t-
(C) Selected Angles around Carbon Atoms
In(1)-C(11)-C(12) 126.7(4) In(2)-C(31)-C(32) 122.2(3)
In(1)-C(21)-C(22) 126.5(4) In(2)-C(41)-C(42) 122.5(3)
2
Bu)2]2 is 200-203 °C, whereas that for [(Me3CCH2)2-
P(3)-C(51)-C(52)
P(3)-C(51)-C(54)
P(3)-C(61)-C(63)
P(4)-C(71)-C(72)
P(4)-C(81)-C(82)
113.6(3) P(3)-C(51)-C(53)
111.0(3) P(3)-C(61)-C(62)
105.6(3) P(3)-C(61)-C(64)
121.5(3) P(4)-C(71)-C(76)
121.4(4) P(4)-C(81)-C(86)
106.1(3)
113.1(3)
111.8(3)
120.6(3)
120.3(3)
4
InPPh2]3 is 143-150 °C. The solubility of the new
mixed-bridge compound is much higher than of either
starting material.
Even though 1 exists as a single compound in the solid
state, an equilibrium mixture of species as represented
by eq 1 is present in benzene solution. The chemical
the In‚‚‚In vector. The P-In-P angles for 1 average
82.5° and are slightly smaller than the 83.4° found in
[(Me3CCH2)2InP(t-Bu)2]2,2 while the In-P-In bond
angles average 97.0° and are slightly larger than the
96.6(1)° found for [(Me3CCH2)2InP(t-Bu)2]2.2 The aver-
age In-P bond distance for the P(t-Bu)2 moiety is 2.682
Å and is slightly shorter than the average In-P
distances of 2.698 Å for the PPh2 moiety. (There is,
however, some overlap and no clean separation into
inequivalent sets.) The In-P(t-Bu)2 distances in 1 are
shorter than those in [(Me3CCH2)2InP(t-Bu)2]2 (2.690-
2.712 Å, average 2.701 Å).
The P(t-Bu)2 moiety of 1 is associated with the bond
lengths P(3)-C(51) ) 1.897(4) Å and P(3)-C(61) )
1.898(5) Å (average 1.898 Å). These bond lengths are
similar to values of 1.891-1.895 Å for [(Me3CCH2)2InP-
(t-Bu)2]2.2 The plane C(51)-P(3)-C(61) makes an angle
of 91.5° with the In(1)-P(3)-In(2) plane.
The PPh2 moiety of 1 is associated with the bond
lengths P(4)-C(71) ) 1.833(4) Å and P(4)-C(81) )
1.830(5) Å (average )1.832 Å). The P-C bond length
is shorter than that in [(Me3CCH2)2InPPh2]3 (average
1.845 Å),4 due, most probably, to the change from a
trimeric to a dimeric molecule. The angle between the
C(71)-P(4)-C(81) and In(1)-P(4)-In(2) planes is 75.3°;
these planes are clearly not perpendicular to each other.
The two phenyl groups are twisted away from each
other with a dihedral angle of 64.5° between the
C(71)fC(76) and C(81)fC(86) planes. Note that overall
the P-C bond lengths in the P(t-Bu)2 moiety are
(Me3CCH2)2InP(t-Bu)2In(CH2CMe3)2PPh2 y\
Kz
1/2[(Me3CCH2)2InP(t-Bu)2]2 + (Me3CCH2)2InPPh2
(1)
1
shifts of all observed 31P and H NMR resonances are
assigned in Table 3. The three species are readily
identified in the 31P NMR spectrum. It is noteworthy
that the equilibrium concentration of (Me3CCH2)2-
InPPh2 is so small that the dimer is not observed. The
1H NMR spectrum of 1 in benzene also confirms the
presence of the equilibrium mixture of species. The
equilibrium constant for eq 1 calculated from integration
data has a value of 0.2 ( 0.1. The difference in splitting
pattern is due either to the loss of symmetry in the In-
P-In-P core when the four-membered ring becomes
puckered or, more likely, to the dissymmetry introduced
by the two different substituents on phosphorus, which
precludes the possibility of “trans coupling”. “Trans
coupling” was observed for [(Me3CCH2)2InP(t-Bu)2]2.2
The proton signal for the methyl groups of the neopentyl
groups attached to indium atoms is 1.21 ppm, which is
between the corresponding signals for [(Me3CCH2)2InP-
(t-Bu)2]2 (1.39 ppm)2 and (Me3CCH2)2InPPh2 (1.06
ppm).3,4 The chemical shift for the methylene protons
of neopentyl ligands in 1 is 1.54 ppm, which is the same
2
as that observed for [(Me3CCH2)2InP(t-Bu)2]2 but is