CLUSTER INTERMEDIATES IN AN ORGANOMETALLIC SYNTHESIS OF PDTE

We show that the binary solid-state compound palladium telluride, PdTe, results from the reaction of tetrakis-(triphenylphosphine)palladium, Pd(PPh3)4, and triethylphosphine telluride, Et3PTe, in refluxing toluene. When the same reagents are combined in the same solvent at room temperature two molecular compounds can be isolated. We have determined the structure of each of these crystallographically. The smaller molecule, (Et3P)4Pd2Te2, 1, contains a simple Pd2Te2 four-membered ring, and we show that this four-membered ring can be appreciated as a fragment of the PdTe solid lattice. The larger molecule, (Et3P)8Pd6Te6, 2, has a more complicated structure that can be described as an eight-membered ring that is twice bridged by (Et3P)2PdTe units. We rationalize the structure of 2 by comparing it to the structure of PdTe. © 1990, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.