Synthetic routes to diaryl(alkynyl)platinum(IV) and methyl(aryl)(alkynyl)platinum(IV) motifs are presented, together with studies of selectivity in carbon−carbon coupling by reductive elimination from platinum(IV) centers, and convenient synthetic routes to the platinum(II) reagents PtR
2(dmpe) [R = Me (
1),
p-Tol (
2), Ph (
3), dmpe = 1,2-bis(dimethylphosphino)ethane], PtMe(
p-Tol)(dmpe) (
4), and PtMe(
p-Tol)(COD) (COD = 1,5-cyclooctadiene). The hypervalent iodine(III) reagent IPh(C
![](http://pubs.acs.org/images/entities/tbd1.gif)
CSiMe
3)(OTf) (OTf
− = CF
3SO
3−) oxidizes the Pt(II) complexes PtR
1R
2(dmpe) [
1: R
1 = R
2 = Me;
2: R
1 = R
2 =
p-Tol;
3: R
1 = R
2 = Ph;
4: R
1 = Me, R
2 =
p-Tol; dmpe = 1,2-bis(dimethylphosphino)ethane] to Pt(IV) complexes that are stable at low temperatures. Those complexes resulting from oxidation of
1 and
4 adopt configurations in which the triflate and η
1-alkynyl ligands are
cis to each other, Pt(OTf)R
1R
2(C
![](http://pubs.acs.org/images/entities/tbd1.gif)
CSiMe
3)(dmpe) (
1a,
4a), with the alkynyl group
trans to phosphorus, and form equilibria with triflate-free complexes (
1c,
4c), assumed to be solvento cations. The mixtures of dimethylplatinum(IV) species (
1a and
1c) and of methyl(
p-tolyl)platinum(IV) species (
4a and
4c) react with sodium iodide, acetonitrile, and pyridine to form the
cis-configured isomers of the complexes PtIR
1R
2(C
![](http://pubs.acs.org/images/entities/tbd1.gif)
CSiMe
3)(dmpe) (
1b,
4b) and [PtR
1R
2(C
![](http://pubs.acs.org/images/entities/tbd1.gif)
CSiMe
3)(dmpe)(L)](OTf) (L = NCMe:
1d,
4d; L = py:
1e,
4e). The diarylplatinum(II) complexes
2 and
3 are oxidized primarily to species with the triflate and alkynyl groups
trans to each other, Pt(OTf)Ar
2(C
![](http://pubs.acs.org/images/entities/tbd1.gif)
CSiMe
3)(dmpe) (
2a,
3a). The
trans-isomers of diaryl(triflato)platinum(IV) complexes do not take part in ligand substitution reactions with sodium iodide, acetonitrile, or pyridine, but minor Pt(IV) complexes in equilibrium with
2a and
3a do react with iodide to form PtIAr
2(C
![](http://pubs.acs.org/images/entities/tbd1.gif)
CSiMe
3)(dmpe) (
2b,
3b). Structural studies of PtPh
2(dmpe) (
3) and PtIMe(
p-Tol)(C
![](http://pubs.acs.org/images/entities/tbd1.gif)
CSiMe
3)(dmpe) (
4b) reveal square-planar and octahedral geometries, respectively. On warming above −10 °C in acetone, the Pt(IV) triflate stages of all of the systems decompose by reductive elimination via methyl−methyl, methyl−aryl, or aryl−aryl coupling. Similarly, decomposition of PtIMe
2(C
![](http://pubs.acs.org/images/entities/tbd1.gif)
CSiMe
3)(dmpe) (
1b) under mild conditions in acetone results in Me−Me coupling. Decomposition of the isolated iodo complexes (
2b,
3b,
4b) at temperatures above 50 °C reveals involvement of the alkynyl group in reductive elimination processes, giving minor quantities of Me
3SiC
![](http://pubs.acs.org/images/entities/tbd1.gif)
CI and ~1:1 ratios for the dominant products Me
3SiC
![](http://pubs.acs.org/images/entities/tbd1.gif)
C−Ar and Ar−Ar (
2b,
3b), and Me
3SiC
![](http://pubs.acs.org/images/entities/tbd1.gif)
C-(
p-Tol) and Me-(
p-Tol) for
4b.