β-Diketiminate-Stabilized Magnesium(I) Dimers and Magnesium(II) Hydride Complexes: Synthesis, Characterization, Adduct Formation, and Reactivity Studies

The preparation and characterization of a series of magnesium(II) iodide complexes incorporating β‐diketiminate ligands of varying steric bulk and denticity, namely, [(ArNCMe)2CH]− (Ar=phenyl, (PhNacnac), mesityl (MesNacnac), or 2,6‐diisopropylphenyl (Dipp, DippNacnac)), [(DippNCtBu)2CH]− (tBuNacnac), and [(DippNCMe)(Me2NCH2CH2NCMe)CH]− (DmedaNacnac) are reported. The complexes [(PhNacnac)MgI(OEt2)], [(MesNacnac)MgI(OEt2)], [(DmedaNacnac)MgI(OEt2)], [(MesNacnac)MgI(thf)], [(DippNacnac)MgI(thf)], [(tBuNacnac)MgI], and [(tBuNacnac)MgI(DMAP)] (DMAP=4‐dimethylaminopyridine) were shown to be monomeric by X‐ray crystallography. In addition, the related β‐diketiminato beryllium and calcium iodide complexes, [(MesNacnac)BeI] and [{(DippNacnac)CaI(OEt2)}2] were prepared and crystallographically characterized. The reductions of all metal(II) iodide complexes by using various reagents were attempted. In two cases these reactions led to the magnesium(I) dimers, [(MesNacnac)MgMg(MesNacnac)] and [(tBuNacnac)MgMg(tBuNacnac)]. The reduction of a 1:1 mixture of [(DippNacnac)MgI(OEt2)] and [(MesNacnac)MgI(OEt2)] with potassium gave a low yield of the crystallographically characterized complex [(DippNacnac)Mg(μ‐H)(μ‐I)Mg(MesNacnac)]. All attempts to form beryllium(I) or calcium(I) dimers by reductions of [(MesNacnac)BeI], [{(DippNacnac)CaI(OEt2)}2], or [{(tBuNacnac)CaI(thf)}2] have so far been unsuccessful. The further reactivity of the magnesium(I) complexes [(MesNacnac)MgMg(MesNacnac)] and [(tBuNacnac)MgMg(tBuNacnac)] towards a variety of Lewis bases and unsaturated organic substrates was explored. These studies led to the complexes [(MesNacnac)Mg(L)Mg(L)(MesNacnac)] (L=THF or DMAP), [(MesNacnac)Mg(μ‐AdN6Ad)Mg(MesNacnac)] (Ad=1‐adamantyl), [(tBuNacnac)Mg(μ‐AdN6Ad)Mg(tBuNacnac)], and [(MesNacnac)Mg(μ‐tBu2N2C2O2)Mg(MesNacnac)] and revealed that, in general, the reactivity of the magnesium(I) dimers is inversely proportional to their steric bulk. The preparation and characterization of [(tBuNacnac)Mg(μ‐H)2Mg(tBuNacnac)] has shown the compound to have different structural and physical properties to [(tBuNacnac)MgMg(tBuNacnac)]. Treatment of the former with DMAP has given [(tBuNacnac)Mg(H)(DMAP)], the X‐ray crystal structure of which disclosed it to be the first structurally authenticated terminal magnesium hydride complex. Although attempts to prepare [(MesNacnac)Mg(μ‐H)2Mg(MesNacnac)] were not successful, a neutron diffraction study of the corresponding magnesium(I) complex,