Acetonitrile and Propionitrile Exchange at Palladium(II) and Platinum(II)

Ligand exchange at square-planar [Pd(MeCN)4]2+ and [Pd(EtCN)4]2+ has been studied by 1H NMR line broadening and at [Pt(MeCN)4]2+ and [Pt(EtCN)4]2+ by isotopic labelling using 1H NMR spectroscopy in deuteriated nitromethane. Exchange takes place via two-term rate laws Rex/4 = (k1 + k2[RCN])cM with well defined k1 paths. Rate constants per co-ordination site k1298/s–1, k2298/kg mol–1 s–1 are 6.9 ± 1.6, 34 ± 3; 0.59 ± 0.12, 34 ± 3; 10.7 ± 1.8, 35 ± 4; (5.1 ± 2.3) × 10–6, (2.8 ± 0.2) × 10–5 and (5.5 ± 1.0) × 10–6, (3.3 ± 0.2) × 10–5 for [Pd(MeCN)4][CF3SO3]2, [Pd(MeCN)4][BF4]2, [Pd(EtCN)4][CF3SO3]2, [Pt(MeCN)4][CF3SO3]2 and [Pt(EtCN)4][CF3SO3]2, respectively. For [Pd(MeCN)4]2+ the k1 path is much larger for triflate than for tetrafluoroborate as counter ion. Changing the tetrafluoroborate concentration has no effect on the exchange rate of acetonitrile at [Pd(MeCN)4]2+. In this case the k1 path is ascribed to an attack by solvent at the metal centre. For triflate saturation kinetics is observed. This can be rationalized in terms of ion-pair formation followed by reversible intramolecular exchange of nitrile for triflate within the ion pair, with an equilibrium constant Kip300 = 8 ± 2 kg mol–1 and a rate constant k300 = 12.5 ± 1.3 s–1. All activation entropies are negative, indicating associative activation. A new, simple one-step synthesis of the substrate complexes as their triflate salts, using [M(acac)2] (acac = acetylacetonate) as starting material, and of [Pd(MeCN)4][BF4]2 using palladium(II) acetate, is described.