Module 8 : Carbonyls and Phosphine Complexes

Lecture 2 : Metal Phosphines

Objectives

In this lecture you will learn the following

Know about metal phosphine complexes.

Phosphines are one of the few ligands that have been extensively studied over the last few decades to
an extent that the systematic fine tuning of the sterics and electronics can now be achieved with certain
degree of predictability. Phosphines are better spectator ligands than actor ligands. Tolman carried out
pioneering infrared spectroscopy experiments on the PR 3 Ni(CO)3 complexes looking at the (CO)
stretching frequencies for obtaining an insight on the donor properties of the PR 3 ligands. Thus, a
stronger donor phosphine ligand would increase the electron density at the metal center leading to an
enhanced metal to ligand back bonding and thereby lowering of the (CO) stretching frequencies in
these complexes. Another important aspect of the phosphine ligand is its size that has significant steric
impact on its metal complexes. Thus, unlike CO ligand, which is small and hence many may
simultaneously be able to bind to a metal center, the same is not true for the phosphine ligands as only
a few can bind to a metal center. The number of phosphine ligands that can bind to a metal center also
depends on the size of its R substituents. For example, up to two can bind to a metal center in case of
the PCy3 or P(iPr)3 ligands, three or four for PPh 3 , four for Me 2 PH, and five or six for PMe 3 . The steric
effect of phosphine was quantified by Tolmann and is given by a parameter called Cone Angle that
measures the angle at the metal formed by the PR 3 ligand binding to a metal (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Cone Angle in metalphosphine complexes.

The Cone Angle criteria has been successfully invoked in rationalizing the properties of a wide range of
metal phosphine complexes. One unique feature of the phosphine ligand is that it allows convenient
change of electronic effect without undergoing much change in its steric effects. For example, PBu 3 and
P(O iPr)3 have similar steric effects but vary in their electronic effects. The converse is also true as the
steric effect can be easily changed without undergoing much change in the electronic effect. For
example, PMe 3 and P(otolyl) 3 have similar electronic effect but differ in their steric effects. Thus, the
ability to conveniently modulate the steric and the electronic effects make the phosphine ligands a
versatile system for carrying out many organometallic catalysis.

Structure and Bonding

Phosphines are two electron donors that engage a lone pair for binding to metals. These are thus
considered as good donors and poor acceptors and they belong to the same class with the aryl,
dialkylamino and alkoxo ligands. In fact they are more acidic than pure donor ligands like NH3
and, more interestingly so, their acidity can be varied significantly by systematic incorporation of
substituents on the P atom. For example, PF 3 is more acidic than CO. Analogous to what is observed
in case of the benchmark acidic CO ligand, in which the metal d orbital donates electron to a *
orbital of a CO bond, in the case of the phosphines ligands, such back donation occurs from the
metal d orbital occurs on to a * orbital of a PR bond (Figure 2). In phosphine ligands, with the
increase of the electronegativity of R both of the and the * orbitals of the PR bond gets stabilized.
Consequently, the contribution of the atomic orbital of the P atom to the *orbital of the PR bond
increases, which eventually increases the size of the * orbital of the PR bond. This in turn facilitates
better overlap of the * orbital of the PR bond with the metal d orbital during the metal to ligand
back donation in these metal phosphine complexes.

Figure 2. Back donation from the metal d orbital to a * orbital of a PR bond.

Starting from CO, which is a strong acceptor ligand, to moving to the phosphines, which are good
donors and poor acceptor ligands, to even going further to other extreme to the ligands, which are
both good donors as well as donors, a rich variety of phosphine ligands thus are available for
stabilizing different types of organometallic complexes. In this context the following ligands are
discussed below.

-basic ligands

Alkoxides (RO ) and halides like F , Cl and Br belong to a category of basic ligands as they
engage a second lone pair for donation to the metal over and above the first lone pair partaking
donation to the metal. Opposite to what is observed in the case of acidic ligands, in which the *
ligand orbital stabilizes the d metal orbital and thereby affecting a larger ligand field splitting, as
consistent with the strong field nature of these ligands (Figure 3), in the case of the basic ligands, the
second lone pair destabilizes the d metal orbitals leading to a smaller ligand field splitting, which is in
agreement with the weak field nature of these ligands. The orbitals containing the lone pair of the
ligands are usually located on the more electronegative heteroatoms and so they are invariably lower in
energy than the metal d orbitals. Hence, the destabilization of the metal d orbitals occurs due to the
repulsion of the filled ligand lone pair orbital with the filled metal d orbitals. In case of the situations in
which the metal d orbitals are vacant, like in d 0 systems of Ti4+ ions, the possibility of the
destabilization of the metal d orbitals do not arise but instead stabilization occurs through the donation
of the filled ligand lone pair orbital electrons to the empty metal d orbitals as seen in the case of TiF 6
and W(OMe) 6 . Thus, this scenario in basic ligands is opposite to that observed in case of the acidic
ligands, for which the empty * ligand orbitals are higher in energy than the filled metal d orbitals.
Figure 3. Orbital interactions in the presence of the acceptor, (pure) donor and basic
ligands are shown.

Problems

1. Phosphines are good donor and acceptor ligands. True or false.

Ans: False

2. back donation from metal d orbital occurs on to */* orbital of the ligand?

Ans: *

3. Which is a stronger acceptor ligand, PF 3 or CO?

Ans: PF 3

Self Assessment test

1. Which one is bulkier of the two between PPh 3 and PCy3 ?

Ans: PCy3

2. What is the maximum number of phosphine ligand that can bind to a single metal center?

Ans: Six, for example in W(PMe3 ) 6

3. Halides and alkoxides are what type of ligands?

Ans: s-donor and p-donor

Summary
Phosphines, like CO are an important class of ligands in organometallic chemistry that have been
extensively studied for its ability to stabilize transition metal complexes, many of which find utility in
chemical catalysis. However, unlike the CO, phosphines are good donor and poor acceptor ligands.
These ligands can be fine tuned sterically as well as electronically by varying the substituents on P atom
in a predictable manner. Apart from phosphines a few of the more electron rich basic ligands have
been introduced in this chapter.