Palladium(II) and copper(I) complexes of wide angle bisphosphine, 1,4-bis((diphenylphosphino)methyl)benzene

Oxidation reactions and synthesis of copper(I) and palladium(II) complexes of 1,4-bis((diphenylphosphino)methyl)benzene (1) have been described. Due to the larger separation of phosphorus atoms, bisphosphine exhibits only bridging mode of coordination. The ligand is also ideally suited to form binuclear complexes and 1-D coordination polymers. Reaction of 1 with $$[\hbox {Pd}(\eta ^{3}{-}\hbox {allyl})\hbox {Cl}]_{2}$$ results in dipalladium(II) complex (4), whereas with copper halides, dimeric complexes of the type $$[\{\hbox {CuX}\}\{\mu {-}\hbox {Ph}_{2}\hbox {PCH}_{2}\hbox {C}_{6}\hbox {H}_{4}\hbox {CH}_{2}\hbox {PPh}_{2}\}]_{2}$$ (5 X = Cl, 6 X = Br and 7 X = I) were isolated. All the compounds have been fully characterized by spectroscopic and analytical methods. The molecular structures of bisulfide (3), Pd(II) and Cu(I) complexes were confirmed by single crystal X-ray analyses. SYNOPSIS Herein we describe the oxidation reactions and the synthesis and palladium(II) and copper(I) complexes of a wide angle bisphosphine, 1,4-bis((diphenylphosphino)methyl)benzene .