Carbosilane molecules with mono- and bis(amino)arylmetal end groups:: Structures of {NiI[C6H2(CH2NMe2)2-2,6-SiMe3-4]} and tetranuclear {[CH2Si(Me)2C6H3(CH2NMe2)-4-(PdCl)-3]2}2

A set of model compounds have been designed in order to develop useful synthetic routes to novel dendritic carbosilane molecules functionalized with organometallic complexes derived from the monoanionic [C6H3(CH2NMe2)(2)-2,6](-) (=NCN) and [C6H4(CH2NMe2)-2](-) (=CN) ligands. Selective electrophilic palladation of both [C6H2(CH2NMe2)(2)-2,6-(SiMe3)(2)-1,4] (1) and [C6H4(CH2NMe2)-4-SiMe3-1] (6) using Pd(OAc)(2) afforded, after addition of LiCl, [PdCl(C6H2{CH2NMe2}(2)-2,6-SiMe3-4)] (2) and dimeric [PdCl(C6H3{CH2NMe2}-2-SiMe3-5)](2) (7); respectively, in 98% and 84% yield. Lithiation of [C6H3(CH2NMe2)(2)-3,5-SiMe3-1] followed by transmetalation using 1 equiv of PtCL2(SEt2)(2) in THF at room temperature yielded the platinated complex [PtCl(C6H2{CH2NMe2}(2)-2,6-SiMe3-4)] (3). Reaction of the iodinated analogue of 1, [IC6H2(CH2NMe2)(2)-2,6-SiMe3-4] (4), with an excess of Ni(PPh3)(4) in THF at room temperature afforded the nickel complex [NiI(C6H2{CH2NMe}(2)-2,6-SiMe3-4)] (5). Similar synthetic approaches have also been applied to the (N)CN-substituted carbosilane ligand systems [CH2Si(Me)(2)C6H3(CH2NMe2)(2)-3,5](2) and [CH2Si(Me)(2)C6H4(CH2NMe2)-4](2) to give the bismetalated species [CH2Si(Me)(2)C6H2(CH2NMe2)(2)-3,5-(MX)-4](2) (MX = PdCl (9), PtCl (10), PdI (12)) and [CH2Si(Me)(2)C6H3(CH2NMe2)-4-(PdCl)-3](2) (13) in good yields. The molecular structures of 5 and bispalladated 13 have been determined. The molecular structure of 13 shows this species to be a centrosymmetric dimeric aggregate in the solid state, with the two bis(amino)arylpalladium carbosilane molecules held together via two terminal-terminal chlorine bridging atoms, thus forming a 26-membered macrocyclic ring.