The Isolation, Characterization, and Isomerization of cis - and trans -Bis(benzonitrile)dichloroplatinum(II)

Abstract

The reaction of platinum(II) chloride with neat benzonitrile gave bis(benzonitrile)dichloroplatinum(II) as a mixture of cis and trans isomers in variable proportions, depending on the temperature. The geometry of the chromatographically separated isomers was identified on the basis of the dipole-moment and IR data. The 13C NMR spectra in CDCl3 also enabled us to discriminate between isomers in both chemical shift and coupling to the 195Pt of the cyanide carbon, the resonance peak of which was utilized to follow the isomerization. The rate constant (kc) for the cis-to-trans isomerization was found to be (3.8±0.3)×10−6 s−1 in CDCl3 at 25 °C, ten times larger than that [kt=(2.9±0.2)×10−7 s−1] of the reverse reaction. The equilibrium between cis and trans strongly favored trans in CDCl3 at 25 °C, whereas in benzonitrile the cis form was the dominant species at room temperature, while the trans form was dominant at higher temperatures.