Synthesis, Structural Characterization, and Gas-Phase Unimolecular Reactivity of Bis(diphenylphosphino)amino Copper Hydride Nanoclusters [Cu3(X)(μ3-H)((PPh2)2NH)3](BF4), Where X = μ2-Cl and μ3-BH4

Abstract

An electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) survey of the types of cationic copper clusters formed from an acetonitrile solution containing a 1:1:20 mixture of tetrakis(acetonitrile)copper(I) tetrafluoroborate [Cu(MeCN)4(BF4)], bis(diphenylphosphino)amine (dppa = (Ph2P)2NH = L), and NaBH4 revealed a major peak, which based on both the accurate masses and isotope distribution was assigned as [Cu3(BH4)(H)(L)3]+. This prompted synthetic efforts resulting in isolation of the dppa ligated trinuclear copper hydride nanoclusters, [Cu3(μ2-Cl)(μ3-H)(L)3](BF4) and [Cu3(μ3-BH4)(μ3-H)(L)3](BF4), which were subsequently structurally characterized using high resolution ESI-MS, X-ray crystallogra..