The preparation of dipalladium complexes containing sterically nondemanding diphosphine (P-P) ligands of thetype R
2PCH
2PR
2 where R = Me (dmpm) or Et (depm) is reported. Variable-temperature
1H NMR spectra of thePd
I2 complexes Pd
2X
2(dmpm)
2 (X = Cl, Br, or I; the P-P ligands in the Pd
2 complexes are always bridged, but forconvenience, the
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-symbol is omitted) show the complexes to be fluxional in solution, the barriers to a ring-flippingprocess being
G![](/images/entities/Dagger.gif)
= 37.9, 39.0, and 43.2 ± 0.9 k
J mol
-1 for the chloro, bromo, and iodo complexes, respectively.Treatment of Pd
2X
2(P-P)
2 (X = Cl or Br) with X
2 generates the stable, face-to-face Pd
II2 derivatives
trans-Pd
2X
4(P-P)
2, while oxidation of Pd
2I
2(P-P)
2 complexes with I
2 generates a new type of symmetrically di-iodo-bridged,five-coordinate complexes Pd
2I
2(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-I)
2(dmpm)
2 and Pd
2I
2(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-I)
2(depm)
2. The molecular crystal structures of fourdipalladium(II) complexes are described:
trans-Pd
2Cl
4(dmpm)
2·2CHCl
3,
trans-Pd
2Br
4(dmpm)
2,
trans-Pd
2Cl
4(depm)
2,and Pd
2I
2(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-I)
2(dmpm)
2. Solution NMR and UV-vis absorption spectra are consistent with the solid-state structuresdetermined by X-ray diffraction. The stability of the dimeric Pd(II) complexes is attributed primarily to ligand stericfactors.