trans-Dichloridobis(4,8-dimethyl-2-phenyl-2-phosphabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane-κP)platinum(II).

The crystal structure of the title compound, trans-[PtCl2(C16H23P)2], has been determined at 100 K. The Pt atom is located on a twofold axis and adopts a distorted square-planar coordination geometry. The structure is only the second example of a coordination complex containing a derivative of the 4,8-dimethyl-2-phosphabicyclo­[3.3.1]nona­ne (Lim) phosphine ligand family. The ligand contains four chiral C atoms, with the stereochemistry at three of these fixed during synthesis, therefore resulting in two possible ligand stereoisomers. The compound crystallizes in the chiral space group P43212 but is racemic, comprising an equimolar mixture of both stereoisomers disordered on a single ligand site. The effective cone angles for both isomers are the same at 146°.