The molecular structure of dichloro(dimethylamino)phosphine
Abstract
The solid state structure of the low-melting compound Cl2P–NMe2 was determined by X-ray diffraction using an in situ grown single crystal. Two independent molecules in the asymmetric unit have very similar geometries with planar co-ordination at their nitrogen atoms and the C2NP unit almost coinciding with the approximate molecular plane of symmetry. According to ab initio calculations up to the MP2/6-311G** level of theory the structure in the solid state corresponds to a transition state of inversion of the nitrogen pyramid, which is about 3.1 kJ mol–1 higher in energy than the ground state. The calculated ground state is of C1 symmetry with a gauche arrangement of the NMe2 group. Both conformations of Cl2P–NMe2 are at variance to that determined by gas-phase electron diffraction in 1966, with a planar Me2NP group being oriented perpendicular to the plane of symmetry. The calculations predict the latter structure not to be a stationary point on the potential hypersurface. The preference for the Cs structure of Cl2P–NMe2 in the crystal can be rationalised by the molecular dipole moments which are larger for the Cs structure than for the C1 ground state. The results are discussed in comparison to the structure of F2P–NMe2 which was determined earlier in the gaseous and solid state, also with different geometries. New ab initio calculations for F2P–NMe2 are provided favouring C1 symmetry, but showing the molecule to have a very small barrier to inversion of the nitrogen centre if any.