title: A comparative study of pi-arene-bridged lanthanum arylamide and aryloxide dimers. Solution behavior, exchange mechanisms, and X-ray crystal structures of La2(NH-2,6-iPr2C6H3)6, La(NH-2,6-iPr2C6H3)3(THF)3, and La(NH-2,6-iPr2C6H3)3(py)2.
abstract: Reaction of 3 equiv of 2,6-diisopropylaniline with La[N(SiMe(3))(2)](3) produces the dimeric species La(2)(NHAr)(6) (1). X-ray crystallography reveals a centrosymmetric structure, where the dimeric unit is bridged by intermolecular eta(6)-arene interactions of a unique arylamide ligand attached to an adjacent metal center. Exposure of 1 to THF results in formation of the monomeric tris-THF adduct La(NHAr)(3)(THF)(3) (2), which was shown by X-ray crystallography to maintain a fac-octahedral structure in the solid state. (1)H NMR spectroscopy illustrates that the binding of THF to 1 to form 2 is reversible and removal of THF under vacuum regenerates dimeric 1. Addition of pyridine to 1 yields the monomeric bis-pyridine adduct La(NHAr)(3)(py)(2) (3), which exhibits a distorted trigonal-bipyramidal La metal center. Solution (1)H NMR, IR, and Raman spectroscopy indicate that the pi-arene-bridged dimeric structure of 1 is maintained in solution. Variable-temperature (1)H NMR spectroscopic investigations of 1 are consistent with a monomer-dimer equilibrium at elevated temperature. In contrast, variable-temperature (1)H NMR spectroscopic investigations of the aryloxide analogue La(2)(OAr)(6) (4) show that the bridging and terminal aryloxide groups exchange by a mechanism in which the dimeric nature of the compound is retained. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were carried out on model compounds La(2)(OC(6)H(5))(6), La(2)(NHC(6)H(5))(6), and (C(6)H(5)R)La(XC(6)H(5))(3), where X = O or NH and R = H, OH, or NH(2). The formation of eta(6)-arene interactions is energetically favored over monomeric LaX(3) (X = OPh or NHPh) with the aryloxide pi-arene interaction being stronger than the arylamide pi-arene interaction. Calculation of vibrational frequencies reveals the origin of the observed IR spectral behavior of both La(2)(OC(6)H(5))(6) and La(2)(NHC(6)H(5))(6), with the higher energy nu(C=C) stretch due to terminal ligands and the lower energy stretch associated with the bridging ligands.
authors.affiliation: Nuclear Materials Technology (NMT) Division, Chemistry (C) Division, the Glenn T. Seaborg Institute for Transactinium Science and Theoretical (T) Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA.
authors.forename: Garth R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Giesbrecht
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Gordon
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: P Jeffrey
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Hay
authors.forename: Brian L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: C Drew
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Tait