09.01.2026 Bismuth + Platinum: an Intriguing Combination! (#1)

Bismuth meets platinum (#1): Surprisingly, cationic diarylbismuth complexes react an electron-rich platinum(0) complex in an unprecedented oxidative aryl transfer from the bismuth to the platinum atom. This goes along with the oxidation of Pt(0) to give Pt(II). The platinum complexes could be isolated and fully characterized. In an attempt to also trap the low-valent bismuth by-product, a novel Pt(II)-complex with a semiquinone radical ligand was isolated and characterized for the first time. These unexpected reactivity patterns were rationalized by spectroscopic reaction monitoring and theoretical calculations. The manuscript describing our findings has just been accepted for publication in Organometallics  - congratulations to Johannes and Cissie!