Oxidant-induced intramolecular triazole formation

C 3 -symmetric ligands carrying a rigid triaminoguanidinium backbone are important building blocks for the preparation of supramolecular coordination cages as tetrahedra or trigonal bipyramides. Coordination of Eu(III)- or Gd(III)-ions leads to 1,2,4-triazole formation, which has been reported only rarely. Using Pd(II)-complexes as a model system, this triazole formation could be analyzed in more detail. The preparation of Pd(II)-coordination compounds can be easily done under stoichiometric control. These complexes could be transformed into 1,2,4-triazoles using O2 or H2O2 as an oxidation reagent. The steric demand of the PR3-coligand seems to play a key role in the cyclisation reaction.