10.1039/DT9860002201
The research focuses on the synthesis of a new tridentate pyridine donor ligand, 2,6-bis[1-phenyl-1-(pyridin-2-yl)ethyl]pyridine (L), and its subsequent complexation with methylmercury(II) nitrate to form separable meso and rac diastereoisomers. The purpose of this study was to create a ligand that could act as a tridentate in coordination chemistry and to investigate its coordination behavior with mercury and palladium. The researchers successfully synthesized the ligand L by reacting 2,6-dichloropyridine with lithiated 2-(1-phenylethyl)pyridine and then complexed it with methylmercury(II) nitrate to form the meso and rac diastereoisomers, which were separated via fractional crystallization. The study concluded that the ligand L, in its meso form, coordinates as a tripodal tridentate ligand to HgMe and as a planar tridentate ligand to PdII, highlighting its flexibility in coordination modes. The chemicals used in the process included 2,6-dichloropyridine, 2-(1-phenylethyl)pyridine, phenyl-lithium, methylmercury(II) nitrate, and various solvents such as diethyl ether, toluene, and acetone.