Ansa-metallocenes with B---N and B---P linkages: the importance of N---HF---C hydrogen bonding in pentafluorophenyl boron compounds

The reaction of Cp′(Cp^B)ZrCl₂ [Cp^B=η⁵-C₅H₄B(C₆F₅)₂] with LiNHCMe₃ gave Cp′(Cp^B)(μ-NHCMe₃)ZrCl, with a constrained-geometry type Cp---B---N chelate ligand. The ¹⁹F-NMR spectrum of the zirconium complexes, as well as that of the titanium analogue, reveals C---FH---N hydrogen bonding to one of the ortho-F atoms of a C₆F₅ ring, strong enough to persist in solution at room temperature. The reaction of Cp′(Cp^B)TiCl₂ with LiPPh₂ affords the Cp---B---P chelate complex Cp′(Cp^B)(μ-PPh₂)TiCl, the first example of a crystallographically characterised Ti(IV) phosphido compound. A ¹⁹F-NMR study of a number of adducts of B(C₆F₅)₃ with prim- and sec-amines demonstrates the importance of intramolecular hydrogen bonding to C₆F₅ in this class of compounds, while there are no such interactions in B(C₆F₅)₃(PHR₂) (R=Cy, Ph). The crystal structures of Cp′(Cp^B)(μ-PPh₂)TiCl, B(C₆F₅)₃(NHMe₂) and B(C₆F₅)₃(PHCy₂) are reported.