Group 4 metal compounds incorporating the amide ligand, [N(SiMe2{C6H4-2-OMe})2]−This article is dedicated to the memory of Professor Kenneth (Ken) Wade.Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Synthetic procedure to Zr(L)(NMe2)Cl2; crystallographic data. CCDC 850298-850302. For ESI and crystallographic data in CIF or other electronic format see DOI: 10.1039/c5dt00684h

The anisole-substituted silyl-amide anion, [N(SiMe 2 {C 6 H 4 -2-OMe}) 2 ] − ( L ), has been used as a pincer-type ligand in coordination chemistry. X-ray diffraction data for the lithium salt shows a trimetallic structure consisting of two equivalents of Li( L ) that sequester a molecule of LiCl. The potassium salt K( L ) is dimeric in the solid-state with bridging amide ligands. Each structure shows chelation of both O-donor groups to the electropositive metal. In contrast, the titanium compound Ti( L )Cl 3 is four-coordinate with a monodentate amide. The zirconium compound Zr( L ) 2 Cl 2 is monometallic with a six-coordinate metal and two N , O -bidentate amides. A bis(2-methoxybenzene)-substituted disilazide pincer ligand coordinates to group 4 metal compounds to afford a conformationally flexible metallacycle.