family firms, succession, management buy-out, information asymmetry negotiation behaviour, corporate governance, L26,

Bis(qs-cyclopentadienyl) dihalides of niobium(iv) and tantalum(rv), [MX,(cp),] (M = Nb or Ta; X = CI, Br, or I; cp = q5-C5H5) have been prepared by known methods or via metathetical displacement of chloride ligands in [ MCl,(cp),] by bromide or iodide ions. The new, characterised bis(monothiobenzoate) complexes, [M(SCOPh),(cp),](M = Nb or Ta), have been synthesised from [MCl,(cp),] and TI(SC0Ph) in acetone. The molecular structure of [Ta(SCOPh),(cp),], determined by X-ray diffraction of a single crystal [space group P2,2,2, a = 7.8458( 22), b = 19.903(4), c = 7.028(3) A, Z = 2, R = 0.031, R' = 0.0371 comprises a normal, bent sandwich geometry with monodentate, Sbonded monothiobenzoate ligands. The angle S-Ta-S, 79.4(8)", is relatively acute for a complex of type [MX,(cp),] with a d1 electronic configuration. Comparative cyclic voltammetric studies have been performed for [MX,(cp),] (M = N b or Ta; X = CI, Br, I, or SCOPh) in dichloromethane solutions. Oxidation to [ MX,(cp),] + is essentially reversible for these systems and ease of oxidation decreases with ligand X in the order SCOPh > CI > Br > I. Reduction is

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