No abstract

The reaction of lead(II) bromide with RMgBr, R = 2,4,6-Et3C6H2, furnishes black crystals of hexakis(2,4,6-triethylphenyl)cyclotriplumbane (1) as the first molecule with a homonuclear lead ring. 1 adopts a skewed structure with highly stretched Pb-Pb bond lengths of 3.185 A (average), which indicate that the three-membered ring is formed by weak interactions of 3 singlet plumbylene molecules.

Treatment of lead(II) bromide with phenylmagnesium bromide at low temperature furnishes yellow crystals of the ionic compound [BrMg(THF)5]+ [:Pb(PbPh3)3]- which, upon X-ray crystallographic analysis, reveals three stretched Pb-Pb bonds and Pb-Pb-Pb angles of about 93 degrees.