Nitrogen–Phosphorus(III)–Chalcogen Macrocycles for the Synthesis of Polynuclear Silver(I) Sandwich Complexes

The synthesis of inorganic N–P­(III)-Ch-based macrocycles [−PhP–NMe–PPh–Ch−]2 (8Ch; Ch = S, Se) is presented by incorporating two nitrogen, two chalcogen, and four phosphorus atoms. The macrocycles are conveniently obtained via the cyclocondensation reaction of Na2Ch (Ch = S, Se) with the acyclic dichlorodiphosphazane ClPhP–NMe–PClPh (9). Treatment with elemental sulfur (S8) or gray selenium (Segray) results in an oxidative ring contraction to give 1,3,2,4-thiazadiphosphetidine 2,4-disulfide (10S) and 1,3,2,4-selenazadiphosphetidine 2,4-diselenide (10Se), respectively. Macrocycles 8Ch are excellent multidentate ligands for transition metal complexation, as demonstrated by the isolation of mono-, di- tri-, and tetranuclear silver sandwich complexes. The polynuclear silver complexes are comprehensively characterized, including detailed NMR and X-ray analysis.