Phosphine and phosphido indium hydride complexes and their use in inorganic synthesis

Reaction of PR3, R=cyclohexyl (Cy), cyclopentyl (Cy-p) or phenyl, with [InH3(NMe3)] affords the 1:1 indium trihydride complexes, [InH3(PR3)]. The stabilities and spectroscopic properties of these complexes are described in terms of the phosphine ligands' steric bulk and nucleophilicity. Reaction of two equivalents of PCy3 with [InH3(NMe3)] yields the complex [InH3(PCy3)(2)] which has been characterised by X-ray crystallography. The first phosphido-indium hydride complex, [{InH2(PCy2)}(3)], has been prepared by a novel synthetic route which involves treatment of [InH3(NMe3)] with LiPCy2. Its crystal structure shows it to exist as a cyclic trimer in the solid state. The complex, [InH3(PCy3)] has been used to prepare a range of monomeric indium chalcogenolato complexes, [In(EPh)(3)(PCy3)], E=S, Se or Te, all of which have been structurally characterised.