Crystal structures of [IrCl2(NHCHPh)((dppm)(C(N2dppm))-κ3 P,C,P')]Cl·5.5MeCN and [IrI(NHCHPh)(((dppm)C(N2))-κ2 P,C)(dppm-κ2 P,P')]I(I3)·0.5I2·MeOH·0.5CH2Cl2: triazene fragmentation in a PCN pincer iridium complex.

The structure of [IrCl2(C58H51N3P4)]Cl·5.5CH3CN or [IrCl2(NHCHPh)(((dppm)C(N2dppm))-κ 3P,C,P)]Cl·5.5CH3CN [3, dppm = bis-(di-phenyl-phos-phino)methane; systematic name: di-chlorido(1,1,3,3,7,7,9,9-octa-phenyl-4,5-di-aza-1,3λ5,7λ4,9-tetra-phosphanona-3,5-dien-6-yl-κ2 P 1,P 9)-(phenyl-methanimine-κN)iridium(III) chloride aceto-nitrile hemihendeca-solvate], resulting from an oxygen-mediated cleavage of a triazeneyl-idene-phospho-rane ligand producing a diazo-methyl-ene-phospho-rane and a nitrene moiety, which in turn rearrange via a Staudinger reaction and a 1,2-hydride shift to the first title complex, involves a six-coordinate IrIII complex cation coordinated by a facial PCP pincer ligand, a benzaldimine and two chlorido ligands. The pincer system features a five- and a seven-membered ring, with the central divalent carbon of the PCP pincer ligand being connected to a phosphine and a diazo-phospho-rane. The chlorido ligands are positioned trans to the central carbon atom and to the phospho-rus donor of the seven-membered ring of the pincer system, respectively. A chloride ion serves as counter-ion for the monocationic complex. The structure of [IrI(C26H22N2P2)(C26H22P2)(C6H7N)]I(I3)·0.5I2·CH3OH·0.5CH2Cl2 or [IrI(NHCHPh)((dppm)C(N2)-κ 2P,C)(dppm-κ 2P,P')]I(I3)·0.5I2·CH3OH·0.5CH2Cl2 {4, systematic name: (4-diazo-1,1,3,3,-tetra-phenyl-1,3λ4-diphosphabutan-4-yl-κP 1)iodido[methyl-enebis(di-phenyl-phosphine)-κ2 P,P'](phenyl-methanimine-κN)iridium(III) iodide-triiodide-di-chloro-methane-iodine-methanol (2/2/1/1/2)}, accessed via treatment of the triazeneyl-idene-phospho-rane complex [Ir((BnN3)C(dppm)-κ 3P,C,N)(dppm-κ 2P,P')]Cl with hydro-iodic acid, consists of a dicationic six-coordinate IrIII complex, coordinated by a bidentate diazo-methyl-ene-phospho-rane, a benzaldimine, a chelating dppm moiety and an iodido ligand. The phospho-rus atoms of the chelating dppm are trans to the central carbon atom of the diazo-methyl-ene-phospho-rane and the iodide ligand, respectively. Both an iodide and a triiodide moiety function as counter-ions. The aceto-nitrile solvent mol-ecules in 3 are severely disordered in position and occupation. In 4, the I3 - anion is positionally disordered (ratio roughly 1:1), as is the I- anion with a ratio of 9:1. The di-chloro-methane solvent mol-ecule lies near a twofold rotation axis (disorder) and was refined with an occupancy of 0.5. Another disorder occurs for the solvent methanol with a 1:1 ratio.