C−H versus O−H Bond Cleavage Reactions of Bis(2-hydroxyphenyl)phenylamine, PhN(<i>o</i>-C₆H₄OH)₂: Synthesis and Structural Characterization of Mononuclear and Dinuclear Tungsten Aryloxide Complexes Which Exhibit Bidentate, Τridentate, and Tetradentate Coordination

The phenylimino-bridged diphenol PhN(o-C6H4OH)2 reacts with W(PMe3)4(η2-CH2PMe2)H to yield a variety of mononuclear and dinuclear complexes that include [κ2-PhN(C6H4OH)(C6H3O)]W(PMe3)4H2, [μ-κ2,κ2-PhN(C6H3O)2]{W(PMe3)4H2}2, [κ3-PhN(C6H4O)2]W(PMe3)3H2, [κ4-N(C6H4)(C6H4O)2]W(PMe3)3H, and [κ2-PhN(C6H4O)2]2W(PMe3)2 via O−H and C−H bond activation reactions. Structural characterization of these compounds by X-ray diffraction demonstrates that the derived alkoxide ligand is structurally flexible and can adopt bidentate, tridentate, and tetradentate coordination modes.