Generation, bonding and reactivity of transient zinc-substituted silylenes

Yb/Si frustrated Lewis pairs with a labile naphthalenyl bridge

“…Recently, we synthesized a silacyclopropanyl potassium K–Si . 12 Reactions of this potassium salt with β-diketiminato based tridentate ligand supported divalent ytterbium iodide [{MeC(NDIPP)CHC(Me)(NCH 2 CH 2 NMe 2 )}Yb(THF)(μ-I)] 2 (DIPP = 2,6-( i Pr) 2 C 6 H 3 ) or [{ t BuC(NDIPP)CHC( t Bu)(NCH 2 CH 2 NMe 2 )} Yb(THF)(μ-I)] 2 in toluene at room temperature gave divalent ytterbium silacyclopropanyl complexes, 12 a which feature the typical metal–silicon bond lengths as reported for other silyl complexes. Interestingly, K–Si reacted with β-diketiminato based tetradentate ligand supported divalent ytterbium iodide [{MeC(NDIPP)CHC(Me)(NCH 2 CH 2 N(Me)CH 2 CH 2 NMe 2 )}Yb(μ-I)] 2 , [{ t BuC(NDIPP)CHC(Me)(NCH 2 CH 2 N(Me)CH 2 CH 2 NMe 2 )}Yb(μ-I)] 2 or [{ t BuC(NDIPP)CHC( t Bu)(NCH 2 CH 2 N(Me)CH 2 CH 2 NMe 2 )}Yb(μ-I)] 2 under same conditions provided complexes 1–3 , where Yb⋯Si distances are rather long (Scheme 2).…”