Rhodium(III) and Rhodium(II) Complexes of Novel Bis(oxazoline) Pincer Ligands

A series of novel C2-symmetric bisoxazoline ligands (benbox and benboxMe2) have been prepared. A variety of coordinatively unsaturated rhodium(III) complexes (3a−g, 4a−g) have been isolated. Trapping reactions of the agostically stabilized complex [RhCl2{(S,S)-ib-benbox(Me2)}] (4d) are described. Metal-to-aryl methyl migration reactions are described for the complex [RhMe{(S,S)-ip-benbox(Me2)}][BArf] (11c). Full characterization details and reactivity studies of air-stable, isolable, mononuclear, paramagnetic rhodium(II) complexes [RhCl2{(S,S)-tb-benbox(Me2)}(H)] (15e) and [RhCl2{dm-benbox(Me2)H}] (15g) are reported.