Abstract
The crystal structure of bis{bis(4-trifluoromethyltetrafluorophenyl)phosphino}-methane 2 determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction comprises pairs of molecules related by an inversion center and possessing short P⋅⋅⋅P distances. The molecular structure and the structure of the pairs are similar to those in the crystal structure of bis{bis(pentafluorophenyl)-phosphino}methane, although the packing is different. Comparison with the structures of bis(diphenylphosphino)methane and bis{bis(pentafluorophenyl)phosphine}difluoromethane suggests that intramolecular C–H⋅⋅⋅F–C interactions are the most important factor in determining the presence of the short P⋅⋅⋅P distances in the crystal structures of bis(diarylphosphino)methanes.
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GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
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Acknowledgments
The author thanks the University of Waikato for financial support, Prof. B. K. Nicholson for assistance with the structure determination, and Dr. Jan Wikaira (University of Canterbury) for the X-ray data set.