Iridium carbonyl halides phosphine complexes

The products of oxidative addition of acyl chlorides and alkyl halides to various tertiary phosphine complexes of rhodium(I) and iridium(I) are discussed. Features of interest include (1) an equilibrium between a five-coordinate acetylrhodium(III) cation and its six-coordinate methyl(carbonyl) isomer which is established at an intermediate rate on the NMR time scale at room temperature, and (2) a solvent-dependent secondary- to normal-alkyl-group isomerization in octahedral al-kyliridium(III) complexes. The chemistry of monomeric, tertiary phosphine-stabilized hydroxoplatinum(II) complexes is reviewed, with emphasis on their conversion into hydrido -alkyl or -aryl complexes. Evidence for an electronic cis-PtP bond-weakening influence is presented. 

The dimeric hydrido complex [Ir(H)(X)2(CO)(PR3)]2 (X = Cl, Br PR3 = PEt3, PPh3) has been synthesized by carbonylation of iridium halides followed by phosphine addition the complex... 

A process for the coproduction of acetic anhydride and acetic acid, which has been operated by BP Chemicals since 1988, uses a quaternary ammonium iodide salt in a role similar to that of Lil [8]. Beneficial effects on rhodium-complex-catalyzed methanol carbonylation have also been found for other additives. For example, phosphine oxides such as Ph3PO enable high catalyst rates at low water concentrations without compromising catalyst stability [40—42]. Similarly, iodocarbonyl complexes of ruthenium and osmium (as used to promote iridium systems, Section 3) are found to enhance the activity of a rhodium catalyst at low water concentrations [43,44]. Other compounds reported to have beneficial effects include phosphate salts [45], transition metal halide salts [46], and oxoacids and heteropolyacids and their salts [47]. 

Halogeno-carbonyl and -phosphine complexes. An interesting paper reports that for the equilibrium [Ir(CO)2(Cl4] -I in non-aqueous solvents, the iridium(m) anion exhibits novel ambivalent acceptor properties, i.e. it displays soft acceptor halide preference at two halide positions, but hard behaviour at the other halide positions. ... 

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