Stoichiometric and Catalytic Oxidation of BINAP by Dioxygen in a Rhodium(I) Complex

The square planar complex (BINAP)Rh(CO)Cl (BINAP = 2,2‘-bis(diphenylphosphino)-1,1‘-binaphthyl) was synthesized from [Rh(COD)Cl]2 (COD = 1,5 cyclooctadiene) and BINAP under a CO atmosphere. It reacts with oxygen to form the square planar (BINAP(O))Rh(CO)Cl in approximately 50% yield, along with molar equivalents of free BINAP dioxide (BINAP(O)2) and CO2. The oxygen atom of the BINAP(O) was shown crystallographically to be trans to the CO …