A Convenient Solvothermal Synthesis of Group 6 PNP Pincer Tricarbonyl Complexes

The
solvothermal synthesis of a series of zerovalent Cr, Mo, and W complexes
of the type [M­(PNP)­(CO)3] featuring PNP pincer ligands
based on 2,6-diaminopyridine is described. We demonstrate that the
solvothermal synthesis technique presented provides a powerful, simple,
and practical synthetic method resulting in high isolated yields in
a short time. In particular, Cr and W complexes are not readily accessible
via conventional methods. Moreover, this study allows a direct comparison
of steric and electronic properties of group 6 metal PNP pincer tricarbonyl
complexes.