The stereochemistry of B -diketo complexes with trim ethylplatinum iv II. The crystal structure of ethyl(trim ethylplatini-)- acetoacetate

Abstract

A three-dimensional X-ray crystal structure analysis of the complex between trimethyl platinum and ethylacetoacetate, (CH 3 ) 3 Pt CH 3 . CO. CH. CO OC 2 H 5 , has shown that the molecule is dimeric. In a monoclinic unit cell (a = 8.83, b = 14.12, c = 9.30 Å, β = 95°, space group P2 1 / c ) there are two centrosymmetrical dimeric molecules in which each platinum atom is octahedrally co-ordinated by three methyl groups, in the cis configuration, by the two carbonyl oxygen atoms of one β -ketoester and by the central, or ‘active methylene’ carbon atom of the other β -ketoester in the dimer. The structure is thus essentially the same as that of trimethyl 4:6-dioxononyl platinum (part I) and the result shows that complex formation via a tridentate β -diketo system is preferred to co-ordination through an ester oxygen. A critical account is given of the criteria used to judge the correctness of the results.