An acidity scale of phosphonium tetraphenylborate salts and ruthenium dihydrogen complexes in dichloromethane
Equilibrium constants (KDM) for reactions between acids and bases of the title compounds in CD2Cl2 (DM) have been determined by 31P and 1H NMR spectroscopy at room temperature. [HPCy3]BPh4 and [HPCy3]BF4, with pKDM assigned by literature convention to 9.7, have been used as the anchor compounds for the pKDM determinations. A continuous scale of pKDM values covering the range 9.7 to 5.7 is created with the acidic compounds [HPR3]BPh4. Those acids with pKDM greater than 6 are stable, while those with more acidic cations HPR3+ protonate BPh4 to produce R3PBPh3 and benzene. The literature pKTHF values reported for [HPBu2Ph]BPh4, [HPMePh2]BPh4, and [HPEtPh2]BPh4 are questionable because of this protonation reaction. NOE and PGSE 1H NMR techniques are used to show that [HPCy2Ph]BPh4 in DM exists as ion pairs and higher aggregates up to quadrupoles at the concentrations used in the acidbase studies. The new dihydrogen complexes [Ru(H2)Cl(PPh3)2(dach)]BF4 (dach = (1R,2R)-()-diaminocyclohexane) and [Ru(H2)Cl{tmeP2(NH)2}]BF4 (tmeP2(NH)2 = PPh2C6H4CH2NHCMe2CMe2NHCH2C6H4PPh2) were prepared by reaction of RuHCl(PPh3)2(dach) and RuHCl{tmeP2(NH)2} with HBF4. Their crystal structures are reported, and the pKDM values of their BPh4 salts were determined to be 8.6 and 6.9, respectively.Key words: acidity, dihydrogen complex, hydride, phosphonium, dichloromethane.