Hydrido- and hydroxo-cyanoalkyl complexes of platinium(II). Reactivity of the Pt-H and Pt-OH bonds towards nucleophiles and electrophiles

Reactions of the Pt-H and/or Pt-C bonds of the hydridocyanoalkyl complexes cis- or trans-PtH[(CH2)nCN]L2 (n = 1, 3; L2 = 2 PPh3, Ph2PCH=CHPPh2) are described, viz. reductive elimination induced by CO, PhCCPh, PEt3, PPhMe2, cis-Ph2PCH=CHPPh2 to give Pt(CO)2L2, PtL2(PhCCPh), PtL2, PtL(PPhMe2)3, PtL2(Ph2PCH=CHPPh2) (L = PPh3), respectively, and cleavages by acids, halogens and alkyl halides. The monomeric hydroxo complexes cis-Pt(OH)[(CH2)nCN]L2 were shown to be intermediates in the synthesis of PtH[(CH2)nCN]L2 from cationic cyanoalkyl complexes in alcoholic NaOH. Their characterisation and the reactions of the Pt-OH bond with activated methyl groups are reported.