Synthesis of a chloro protected iridium nitrido complex

Intramolecular activation processes of vulnerable ligand C–H bonds frequently limit the thermal stability and accessibility of late transition metal complexes with terminal metal nitrido units. In this study chloro substitution of the 2,6-ketimine N-aryl substituents (2,6-C6H3R2, R = Cl) of the pyridine, diimine ligand is probed to increase the stability of square-planar iridium nitrido compounds. The thermal stability of iridium azido precursor and nitrido compounds was studied by a combination of thermoanalytical methods (DTG/MS and DSC) and were compared to the results for the related complexes with 2,6-dialkyl substituted N-aryl groups (R = Me, iPr). The investigations were complemented by DFT calculations, which allowed us to unravel details of the thermal decomposition pathways and provided mechanistic insights of further conversion steps and fluctional processes. The DTG/MS and DSC measurements revealed two different types of thermolysis pathways for the azido compounds. For the complexes with R = Cl and iPr substituents, two well-separated exothermic processes were observed. The first moderately exothermic loss of N2 is followed by a second, strongly exothermic transformation. This contrasts the experimental results for the compound with 2,6-dimethyl substituents (R = Me), where both steps proceed concurrently in the same temperature range. The separation of the two thermal steps in the 2,6-dichloro substituted derivative allowed us to develop a protocol for the isolation of the highly insoluble nitrido complex, which was characterized by UV/vis, IR-spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Its constitution was further confirmed by reaction with silanes, which gave the corresponding silyl amido complexes.