Delicious deprotonations: The scrumptiously tantalising diphenylberyllium Brønsted‐base bratwurst can be combined with an enticing selection of Brønsted‐acid sauces to result in the formation of dreamy beryllium compounds, such as an XRD‐confirmed homoleptic beryllium alkoxide and an NHC‐stabilised beryllium Grignard. More information can be found in the Research Article by M. R. Buchner and co‐workers (DOI: 10.1002/chem.202200851).

The solution behavior of beryllium halides and triflate in acetonitrile was studied by NMR, IR and Raman spectroscopy. Thereby mononuclear units [(MeCN)2BeX2] (X = Cl, Br, I, OTf) were identified as dominant species in these solutions. The solid state structure of [(MeCN)2Be(OTf)2] has been determined by X-ray diffraction. If only one equivalent of MeCN is used the dinuclear compounds [(MeCN)BeX2]2 (X = Cl, Br, I) are formed. Partial halide and triflate dissociation into the monomeric complexes as well as the formation of hetero-halide complexes [(MeCN)2BeClBr], [(MeCN)2BeClI] and [(MeCN)2BeBrI] was observed.

Diphenylberyllium [Be3Ph6] is shown here to react cleanly as a Brønsted base with a vast variety of protic compounds. Through the addition of the simple molecules tBuOH, HNPh2 and HPPh2, as well as the more complex 1,3‐bis‐(2,6‐diisopropylphenyl)imidazolinium chloride, one or two phenyl groups in diphenylberyllium were protonated. As a result, the long‐postulated structures of [Be3(OtBu)6] and [Be(μ‐NPh2)Ph]2 have finally been verified and shown to be static in solution. Additionally [Be(μ‐PPh2)(HPPh2)Ph]2 was generated, which is only the second beryllium‐phospanide to be prepared; the stark differences between its behaviour and that of the analogous amide were also examined. The first crystalline example of a beryllium Grignard reagent with a non‐bulky aryl group has also been prepared; it is stabilised with an N‐heterocyclic carbene.