Dichlorostannylene complexes of group 10 metals, a unique bonding mode stabilized by bridging 2-pyridyldiphenylphosphine ligands.

The reaction of tin dichloride with catalytically-relevant group 10 metal precursors [M(Cl)(X)(2-PyPPh(2))(2)] (M = Ni, Pd, Pt; 2-PyPPh(2) = 2-pyridyldiphenylphosphine; X = Cl, Me) provides easy access to unprecedented cationic dichlorostannylene complexes [M(X)(2-PyPPh(2))(2)(SnCl(2))](+) where the M-Sn bond is bridged by two head-to-head coordinated 2-PyPPh(2) ligands. The formation of such species instead of the classical neutral trichlorostannyl derivatives [M(X)(SnCl(3))(2-PyPPh(2))(2)] offers a new insight on the specific effect of the SnCl(2) cocatalyst in group 10 metal catalyzed transformations.