Inter-molecular hydrogen bonding in isostructural pincer complexes [OH-( (t-Bu)POCOP (t-Bu))MCl] (M = Pd and Pt).

In the crystal structure of the isostructural title compounds, namely {2,6-bis-[(di-tert-butyl-phosphan-yl)-oxy]-4-hy-droxy-phen-yl}chlorido-palladium(II), [Pd(C(22)H(39)O(3)P(2))Cl], 1, and {2,6-bis-[(di-tert-butyl-phosphan-yl)-oxy]-4-hy-droxy-phen-yl}chlorido-platinum(II), [Pt(C(22)H(39)O(3)P(2))Cl], 2, the metal centres are coordinated in a distorted square-planar fashion by the POCOP pincer fragment and the chloride ligand. Both complexes form strong hydrogen-bonded chain structures through an inter-action of the OH group in the 4-position of the aromatic POCOP backbone with the halide ligand.