Co-ordination chemistry of octamethyl-5,5 '-di(2-pyridyl)ferrocene

The platinum complex [{PtCl2(C2H4)}2(dpf *) 1 [dpf * = octamethyl-5,5′-di(2-pyridyl)ferrocene] has been obtained by the reaction of dpf * with K[PtCl3(C2H4)]. The reaction of dpf * with [Cu(NCCH3)4]+[BF4]– afforded the copper complexes [Cu(dpf *)]+ [BF4]–2 and [Cu(dpf *)]+[CuCl2]–3 as well as the ferrocenium salt [dpf *]+[BF4]–4, depending on the stoichiometry. The crystal structures of 1–4 have been determined by X-ray diffraction. The dpf * acts as a bridging ligand in the case of 1 and as a trans-chelating ligand in 2 and 3, which contain near-linear two-co-ordinate copper centres. Complex 3 shows a remarkably short, ligand-unsupported CuI · · · CuI contact [281.0(2) pm]. A cyclovoltammetric study of 2 revealed an unprecedentedly high anodic shift of the half-wave potential of the ferrocene moiety upon co-ordination of Cu+ by dpf *.