SYNTHESIS AND STRUCTURAL, ELECTROCHEMICAL AND NMR ANALYSIS OF THE [(PT(PET3))2TE2](N) SERIES (N = 0,2+) AND THE BICAPPED TRIPLATINUM [(PT(PET3)2)3(MU-3-TE)2]2+ DICATION - TE-TE BOND FORMATION IN A CYCLO-PT2TE2 CORE UPON A CHEMICALLY REVERSIBLE 2-ELECTRON OXIDATION

Room-temperature reactions of three [Pt3(CO)6]n2- dianions (n = 3, 4, 5) with TePEt3 in tetrahydrofuran (containing [AsPh4]+Cl-) give rise to the 32-electron [{Pt(PEt3)2}2(mu2-Te)2] 1, the 30-electron [{Pt(PEt3)2}2(mu2-Te2)]2+ dication 2 and the 48-electron [{Pt(PEt3)2}3(mu3-Te)2]2+ dication 3 which were characterized by X-ray diffraction, electrochemical and multinuclear (H-1, C-13, F-19, P-31, Pt-195) NMR measurements; a chemical two-electron oxidation of 1, which has a planar cyclo-Pt2Te2 core, quantitatively produces 2 with a highly bent bicyclo-Pt2Te2 core due to the formation of an electron-pair Te-Te bond (which can be reversibly cleaved upon chemical reduction to reconvert 2 into 1).