Europium(II) and ytterbium(II) cyclic organohydroborates: an europium(II) complex with an agostic interaction.

Lanthanide bis((cyclooctane-1,5-diyl)dihydroborate) complexes (THF)(4)Ln(micro-H)(2)BC(8)H(14) (Ln = Eu, 1; Yb, 2) were synthesized by a metathesis reaction between (THF)(x)()LnCl(2) and K[H(2)BC(8)H(14)] in THF in a 1:2 molar ratio. Attempts to prepare the monosubstituted lanthanide cyclic organohydroborates (THF)(x)LnCl[(micro-H)(2)BC(8)H(14)] were unsuccessful. On the basis of the molecular structure and IR spectrum of 1, there is an agostic interaction between Eu(II) and one of the alpha-C-H hydrogens from the [(micro-H)(2)BC(8)H(14)] unit. No such interaction was observed for 2. The coordinated THF in 1 and 2 can be removed under dynamic vacuum, but the solvent ligands remain bound to Yb when 2 is directly dissolved in Et(2)O or toluene. In strong Lewis basic solvents, such as pyridine or CH(3)CN, attack of the Yb-H-B bridge bonds results. Decomposition of 2 to the 9-BBN dimer in CD(2)Cl(2) was observed by (11)B and (1)H NMR spectroscopies. Compound 2 was reacted with 2 equiv of the hydride ion abstracting reagent B(C(6)F(5))(3) to afford the solvent-separated ion pair [Yb(THF)(6)]HB(C(6)F(5))(3) (3). Complexes 1, 2, and 3 were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Crystal data: 1 is orthorhombic, Pna2(1), a = 21.975(1) A, b = 9.310(1) A, c = 16.816(1) A, Z = 4; 2 is triclinic, P1, a = 9.862(1) A, b = 10.227(1) A, c = 10.476(1) A, alpha = 69.87(1) degrees, beta = 76.63(1) degrees, gamma = 66.12(1) degrees, Z = 1; 3.Et(2)O is triclinic, P1, a = 13.708(1) A, b = 14.946(1) A, c = 17.177(1) A, alpha = 81.01(1) degrees, beta = 88.32(1) degrees, gamma = 88.54(1) degrees, Z = 2.