Hydrogen peroxide oxidation of di(hydroxo)platinum(II) species in carboxylic acids

A facile procedure for synthesizing the mono(hydroxo)tris(carboxylato)platinum(IV) species has been achieved. The reaction of [PtII(OH)2(dmpda)] (dmpda=2,2-dimethyl-1,3-propanediamine) with a 30% aqueous solution of H2O2 in the presence of a carboxylic acid produces a stable [PtIV(OOCR)3(OH)(dmpda)] (R=Me, Et) complex in high yield. The crystal structures of [PtIV(OOCMe)3(OH)(dmpda)] . H2O (triclinic P1 bar, a=8.761(2) Å, b=9.245(3) Å, c=10.659(2) Å, α=106.25(2)°, β=93.90(2)°, γ=98.92(2)°, V=813.1(3) Å3, Z=2, R= 0.0474) and [PtIV(OOCEt)3(OH)(dmpda)] (monoclinic P21/c, a=12.777(4) Å, b=10.514(2) Å, c=14.971(3) Å, β=107.40(2)°, V=1919.2(8) Å3, Z=4, R=0.0611) show that the hydroxyl group has been selectively positioned at an axial site. The intramolecular hydrogen bond between the OH and C=O moiety exists (O(H)...=C, 2.83 Å for [PtIV(OOCMe)3(OH)(dmpda)] · H2O; 2.72 Å for [PtIV(OOCEt)3(OH)(dmpda)]. Formation of the axial-mono(hydroxo)tris(carboxylato)platinum(IV) species may be ascribed to a combination of `reactive-equatorial effects' with `cis-addition' in the carboxylic acid.