1,2 Bis[(trimethylsilyl)imino]acenaphthene (1) was synthesized by the reaction of acenaphthenequinone with (Me 3 Si) 2 NLi in toluene followed by treatment of the reaction product with trimethylchlorosilane. The dianionic derivative [(tms BIAN)Li 2 ] 2 (3) was ob tained as the final product by reduction of compound 1 with lithium in toluene, whereas reduction in diethyl ether afforded the tetraanion [(tms BIAN)Li 4 (Et 2 O) 3 ] 2 (5). The forma tion of the paramagnetic mono and trianions in solution was confirmed by ESR spectroscopy. Compounds 3 and 5 were isolated in the crystalline state and characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, and NMR spectroscopy. The crystal structures of 1, 3, and 5 were established by X ray diffraction.In the last decade, acenaphthene 1,2 diimines (BIAN) have been widely used as ligands in coordination chemis try. Transition metal complexes with diimine ligands are efficient catalysts for alkyne hydrogenation, 1 carbon-car bon bond formation, 2 cycloisomerization, 3 hydrosilyla tion, 4 polymerization of alkenes 5 and acrylic mono mers, 6 and copolymerization of CO 2 and methylenecyclo propene, 7 ethylene, norbornene, 8 and styrene. 9 Acenaphthenediimine complexes of transition metals (Brookhart catalysts) are the most efficient olefin poly merization catalysts. 10 The π acceptor properties of acenaphthene 1,2 diimines in metal complexes induce an electron deficiency at the metal atom, which is re sponsible for high reactivity of these complexes toward organic compounds.Earlier, we have demonstrated that main group met als, unlike transition metals, can form complexes with different anionic forms of BIAN ligands. We used prima rily 1,2 bis[(2,6 diisopropylphenyl)imino]acenaphthene (dpp BIAN), which shows variable oxidation states in complexes with main group metals. Diimine dpp BIAN can be reduced with alkali metals in ethereal media to the mono , di , tri , and tetraanions to form the [(dpp BIAN)M n (Et 2 O) n ] salts (M = Li or Na; n = 1-4). 11In THF, alkaline earth metals reduce dpp BIAN only to the dianion to give the monomeric (dpp BIAN)M(THF) n complexes (M = Mg, Ca, Sr, or Ba; n = 2-4). 12 Reduc tion of dpp BIAN with aluminum metal in the presence of halides in toluene or Et 2 O affords the radical anionic compound (dpp BIAN)AlCl 2 and the dianionic products (dpp BIAN)AlI(Et 2 O) and (dpp BIAN)AlCl(Et 2 O), re spectively. 13 We synthesized aluminum alkyl complexes with both the radical anion and the dianion of dpp BIAN by the metathesis reactions of the corresponding so dium derivatives of dpp BIAN with alkylaluminum halides. 14 The metathesis of sodium salts of three dif ferent acenaphthene 1,2 diimines with GeCl 2 gave the germanium(II) compounds (BIAN)Ge 15 and (dpp BIAN)GeCl. 16 The (dpp BIAN)Mg(thf) 3 complex acts as a one elec tron reducing agent for organic halides 17 and aromatic ketones. 18 The reactions of (dpp BIAN)Mg(thf) 3 with compounds containing a mobile hydrogen atom, for ex ample, with aliphatic ketones, 19 nitriles, 12b or phenyl acetylene, 20 i...