Highly fluorous complexes of nickel, palladium and platinum: solubility and catalysis in high pressure CO2

A variety of Group 10 metal complexes [MXY(dfppp)], M = Ni, X, Y = Cl, Br, M = Pd, Pt, X, Y = Cl or CH3, containing the recently reported highly fluorous diphosphine ligand, dfppp, 1,3-bis[di(fluoroponytail) phosphino] propane, {(p-F13C6C6H4)(2)P}(2)(CH2)(3) have been synthesised. They have been characterised by NMR, mass spectrometry and microanalysis, with two platinum complexes, [PtCl2(dfppp)] and [PtClMe(dfppp)], structurally characterised by single crystal X-ray diffraction studies. The highly fluorous nature of the ligands affords the complexes good supercritical CO2 solubility as measured by supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), and has allowed for the copolymerisation of CO and ethylene using [PdClMe(dfppp)] as the catalyst precursor and CO2 as the solvent. Additionally, PtCl2 complexes of the new ligands dfppb, {(p-F13C6C6H4)(2)P}(2)(CH2)(4), and dfpop, {(p-F13C6C6H4O)(2)P}(2)(CH2)(3), have also been prepared and characterised.