Synthesis of triangular tripalladium cations as noble-metal analogues of the cyclopropenyl cation.

The first C3 -symmetric 44-core-valence-electron triangular palladium clusters, [{(SAr')(PAr3 )Pd}3 ](+) , have been synthesized by activation of the CS bond of isothioureas. Owing to delocalized metal-metal bonding, these stable complexes are the first noble-metal analogues of the π-aromatic cyclopropenyl cation [C3 H3 ](+) , with their all-metal aromaticity involving d-type atomic orbitals.