Hydrogen versus fluorine: effects on molecular structure and intermolecular interactions in a platinum isocyanate complex.

At the molecular level, the enantiomerically pure square-planar organoplatinum complex (SP-4-4)-(R)-[2-(1-aminoethyl)-5-fluorophenyl-κ(2)C(1),N][(R)-1-(4-fluorophenyl)ethylamine-κN](isocyanato-κN)platinum(II), [Pt(C8H9FN)(NCO)(C8H10FN)], and its congener without fluorine substituents on the aryl rings adopt the same structure within error. The similarities between the compounds extend to the most relevant intermolecular interactions, i.e. N-H...O and N-H...N hydrogen bonds link neighbouring molecules into chains along the shortest lattice parameter in each structure. Differences between the crystal structures of the fluoro-substituted and parent complex become obvious with respect to secondary interactions perpendicular to the classical hydrogen bonds; the fluorinated compound features short C-H...F contacts with an F...H distance of ca 2.6 Å. The fluorine substitution is also reflected in reduced backbonding from the metal cation to the isocyanate ligand.