SYNTHESIS AND STRUCTURE OF PENTACARBONYL(MESITYLDIPHENYLMETHYLENEPHOSPHINE)CHROMIUM(0)

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/S0022-328X(00)82233-0

Mesityldiphenylmethylenephosphine (I), a stable all-carbon substituted phosphaalkene, reacts with Cr(CO)5 * THF to furnish the title compound II, a relatively air-stable complex.Spectral data suggest a close structural similarity between the free and the complexed ligand and indicate I to be a ligand of moderate basicity towards chromium.X-ray crystal and molecular structure determination showed the phosphaalkene moiety to be nearly planar with a typically short P=C bond length of 1.679(4) Angstroem and a C-P-C bond angle of 109.8(2)^o.From a discussion of the bond lengths, it is tentatively concluded that in II, I is a ?-acceptor of intermediate strength.