A readily accessible PNP pincer ligand with a pyrrole backbone and its Ni(I/II) chemistry.

The novel chelating PNP pincer ligand 2,5-bis((diphenylphosphino)methyl)-1H-pyrrole (1) was prepared and its nickel coordination chemistry explored. The reaction with Ni(COD)(2) led to a diamagnetic dinuclear nickel(I) complex (4) which was also obtained by the reaction of the square planar Ni(II) complexes [(PNP-Ph(2))NiX] (X = Cl (2), X = I (3)) with Li(Et(3)BH).