Syntheses, Spectroscopy And Crystal Structures Of (R)-N-(1-Aryl-Ethyl)Salicylaldimines And [Rh{(R)-N-(1-Aryl-Ethyl)Salicylaldiminato}(η⁴-Cod)] Complexes

Condensation of salicylaldehyde with enantiopure (R)-(1-aryl-ethyl)amines yields the enantiopure Schiff bases (R)-N-(1-aryl-ethyl)salicylaldimine (HSB*; aryl = phenyl, 2-methoxyphenyl, 3- methoxyphenyl, 4-methoxyphenyl (4), 4-bromophenyl (5), 2-naphthyl). These Schiff bases readily react with dinuclear (acetato)(η4-cycloocta-1,5-diene)rhodium(I), [Rh(μ-O₂CMe)(η⁴-cod)]₂, to afford the mononuclear complexes, cyclooctadiene-((R)-N-(1-aryl-ethyl)salicylaldiminato-κ²N,O)- rhodium(I), [Rh(SB^∗)(η⁴-cod)] (SB* = deprotonated chiral Schiff base = salicylaldiminate; aryl = phenyl (7), 2-methoxyphenyl, 4-methoxyphenyl, 4-bromophenyl, 2-naphthyl). The complexes have been characterized by IR, UV/vis, ¹H/¹³C NMR and mass spectrometry, optical rotation as well as by single-crystal X-ray structure determination for 4, 5 and 7. The structure of 5 shows C-Br· · ·π contacts. Compound 7 is only the second example of a Rh(η⁴-cod) complex with a six-membered Rh-N,O-chelate ring