Complexes of vanadium(III) chloride and bromide with pyridine, 2,2′-bipyridyl, and 1,10-phenanthroline

The reactions of pyridine, 2,2′-bipyridyl, and 1,10-phenanthroline with vanadium(III) chloride and bromide (and their amine and methyl cyanide complexes) have been studied. Pyridine gave VX3,3py complexes, but the stoicheiometry of the products from reactions involving the bidentate ligands depended on experimental conditions. Thus with excess of bipyridyl or phenanthroline, complexes VX3,2B were obtained and characterised as ionic species [VX2B2]X. An ionic structure [VX2B2][VX4B] has been assigned to the 2VCl3,3bipy complex. Several non-ionic complexes (e.g., VCl3,bipy,CH3CN) were also prepared. Spectroscopy indicates that the vanadium has a hexaco-ordinate environment in all the complexes.