First-row transition-metal chloride complexes of the wide bite-angle diphosphine (iPr)DPDBFphos and reactivity studies of monovalent nickel.

The diphosphine 4,6-bis(3-diisopropylphosphinophenyl)dibenzofuran (abbreviated as (iPr)DPDBFphos) has been metalated with transition metal dichlorides of zinc, cobalt, and nickel to yield ((iPr)DPDBFphos)MCl(2) complexes. Within these compounds, the diphosphine (iPr)DPDBFphos adapts a wide range of bite angles (115 to 180°) as determined by X-ray crystallography. A three-coordinate planar Ni(I) species was isolated from the reduction of ((iPr)DPDBFphos)NiCl(2) with KC(8).