Synthesis and reactivity of a zwitterionic palladium allyl complex supported by a perchlorinated carboranyl phosphine

A zwitterionic palladium complex of a phosphine bearing a perchlorinated carba-closo-dodecaborate anion as a ligand substituent is reported. A single-crystal X-ray diffraction study reveals that, in the solid state, one of the chlorides of the carborane cage occupies a coordination site of the square-planar complex. However, in solution, the P-carborane bond of the ligand is rapidly rotating at temperatures as low as -90 °C, which demonstrates the carborane substituent's weak coordinative ability even though this anion is covalently linked to the phosphine ligand. The complex is thermally stable and catalyzes the vinyl addition polymerization of norbornene.