Syntheses and X-ray structures of potassium derivatives and a paramagnetic nickel(II) complex of a cyclodiphosph(III/V)azane monoselenide.

The cyclodiphosph(III/V)azane monoselenide [(t)Bu(H)N(Se)P(micro-N(t)Bu)(2)PN(H)(t)Bu] (6, H(2)cdppSe where cdpp = cyclodiphosphazane) is obtained in quantitative yield from the comproportionation reaction of equimolar amounts of H(2)cdpp (7) and H(2)cdppSe(2) (3) in toluene at 85 degrees C. The X-ray structures of 3 and 6 reveal that both the monoselenide and the diselenide adopt a cis,endo,exo arrangement of the (t)BuNH groups. Metalation of 6 with 1 equiv of KO(t)Bu or 2 equiv of KCH(2)Ph in THF produces [(THF)K[HcdppSe]](2) (8) or [[(THF)(2)K](2)[cdppSe]](2) (9), respectively. The initial deprotonation involves the (t)BuNH group attached to the P(V) center in 6. In the dimeric structure of 8, both of the monoanionic ligands are bis-N,Se-chelated to the two K(+) cations to give a distorted K(2)N(2)Se(2) octahedron. In the centrosymmetric dimer 9, the dianionic ligands adopt two different coordination modes to the bis-solvated K(+) ions, viz., tridentate N,N',N" coordination and N,Se-chelation involving both exo- and endocyclic nitrogen atoms. The dimer is linked through K-Se interactions. The reaction of 2 equiv of 8 with NiCl(2)(PMe(3))(2) in THF produces [Ni(HcdppSe)(2)], which has a distorted tetrahedral structure and exhibits anomalous (1)H, (13)C, and (31)P NMR chemical shifts owing to the proximity of the paramagnetic Ni(II) center.