Mixed guanidinato/alkylimido/azido tungsten(VI) complexes: synthesis and structural characterization.

A series of structurally characterized new examples of pentacoordinated heteroleptic tungsten(VI)-guanidinates complexes are described. Starting out from [WCl(2)(Nt-Bu)(2)py(2)] (1) (py = pyridine) and the guanidinato transfer reagents (TMEDA)Li[(Ni-Pr)(2)CNi-Pr(2)] (2a) (TMEDA = N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylendiamine) and Li(NC(NMe(2))(2)) (2b), the title compounds [WCl(Nt-Bu)(2)[(Ni-Pr)(2)CNi-Pr(2)]] (3) and [W(Nt-Bu)(2)Cl{NC(NMe(2))(2)]](2) (6) were selectively formed by the elimination of one mole equivalent of lithium chloride. The isopropyl-substituted guanidinato ligand [(Ni-Pr)(2)CNi-Pr(2)} of monomeric 3 is N(1),N(3)-bonded to the tungsten center. The introduction of the sterically less-demanding tetramethyl guanidinato ligand [NC(NMe(2))(2)] expectedly leads to dimeric 6 exhibiting a planar W(2)N(2) ring with the guanidinato group bridging the two tungsten centers via the deprotonated imino N-atom. The remaining chloro ligand of 3 is labile and can be substituted by sterically less-crowded groups such as dimethylamido or azido that yield the presumably monomeric compounds 4 and 5, respectively. A similar treatment of 6 with sodium azide yields the dimeric azido derivative 7. Reacting [WCl(2)(Nt-Bu)(2)py(2)] directly with an excess of sodium azide leads to the dimeric bis-azide species [W(Nt-Bu)(2)(N(3))(mu(2)-N(3))py]. The new compounds were fully characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffractometry (except 2, 4, and 5), NMR, IR, and mass-spectroscopy as well as elemental analysis. Compound 5, [W(N(3))(Nt-Bu)(2)[(Ni-Pr)(2)CNi-Pr(2)]], can be sublimed at 80 degrees C, 1 Pa.