Novel synthesis of bis(4-methoxyphenyltelluro) methane and its complexation with Pd(II) and Pt(II): crystal structure of [Pd{(4-CH3OC6H4Te)2CH2}Cl2]− a chelate with short interdonor linkage

A novel and convenient route for the synthesis of bis(4-methoxyphenyltellro)methane using one pot reaction of ditelluride, sodium borohydride and chloroform is described. The palladium(II) complexes of this ditelluroether ligand were also synthesized. The structure of the palladium(II) complex was confirmed by X-ray diffraction studies. The red complex [Pd{(4-CH3OC6H4Te)2CH2}Cl2] crystallizes in monoclinic space group P21/n with four formulae in the unit cell. The cell dimensions are a = 7.872(3) A, b = 20.372(2) A, c = 11.421(3) A, β = 100.90(2)°, Dc = 2.445(5) g cm−3. In the complex, the Pd has distorted square planar geometry around it, the two Cl atoms are cis to each other and the ditelluroether ligand behaves in a bidentate mode. This is the first example in which the ligand molecule, through two tellurium atoms linked with a single carbon atom, is chelated to a single metal centre; the interdonor distance between the tellurium atoms is 3.2939(2) A. The two parallel aryl rings are almost perpendicular to the square planar geometry on the same side of the chelate ring. The complex is monomeric with weak association between tellurium and a neighbouring chlorine.