Redox Noninnocent Nature of Acridine-Based Pincer Complexes of 3d Metals and C–C Bond Formation

Acridine-based PNP pincer complexes have been previously utilized for several environmentally benign catalytic processes. In light of the recent growth in interest in base-metal catalysis, we report here the synthesis of acridine-PNP pincer complexes of Ni, Co, Fe, and Mn. We also report here the noninnocent redox nature of these complexes that results in the dimerization of pincer complexes by forming a C–C bond at the C9 position of the acridine ring.