Tris-(2-pyridylmethyl)amine-ligated Cu(II) 1,3-diketonate complexes: anaerobic retro-Claisen and dehalogenation reactivity of 2-chloro-1,3-diketonate derivatives.

We report synthetic, structural and reactivity investigations of tris-(2-pyridylmethyl)amine (TPA)-ligated Cu(ii) 1,3-diketonate complexes. These complexes exhibit anaerobic retro-Claisen type C-C bond cleavage reactivity which exceeds that found in analogs supported by chelate ligands with fewer and/or weaker pyridyl interactions.