[{(C5Me5)2Nb}2PdTe4], a heterometallic palladium telluride cluster with a planar PdTe4 fragment

The reaction of [ Cp 2 ∗ Nb ( Te 2 H ) ] (Cp∗ = η5-C5Me5) with [Pd(DBA)2] (DBA = dibenzylidenacetone) and dppm (bis(diphenylphosphanyl)methane) gave the new tetratelluropalladate cluster [ ( Cp 2 ∗ Nb ) 2 PdTe 4 ] (1), which has been characterised by means of elemental analysis, FD-MS and X-ray crystallography. The structure of compound 1 contains a planar PdTe4 rectangle to which two niobocene groups are coordinated. DFT calculations on the hypothetical [PdTe4]2− anion and comparison of the results with those of the W and Ni homologues show that the planar arrangement of Te ligands in 1 is due to the intrinsic property of the central Pd atom.