Hydride Reactivity of NiII?X?NiII Entities: Mixed‐Valent Hydrido Complexes and Reversible Metal Reduction

After the lithiation of PYR‐H₂ (PYR^2?={NC(Me)C(H)C(Me)NC₆H₃(iPr)₂}₂(C₅H₃N)]^2?), which is the precursor of an expanded β‐diketiminato ligand system with two binding pockets, its reaction with NiBr₂(dme)] led to a dinuclear nickel(II)–bromide complex, (PYR)Ni(μ‐Br)NiBr] ( 1 ). The bridging bromide ligand could be selectively exchanged for a thiolate ligand to yield (PYR)Ni(μ‐SEt)NiBr] ( 3 ). In an attempt to introduce hydride ligands, both compounds were treated with KHBEt₃. This treatment afforded (PYR)Ni(μ‐H)Ni] ( 2 ), which is a mixed valent Ni^I? μ‐H? Ni^II complex, and (PYR‐H)Ni(μ‐SEt)Ni] ( 4 ), in which two tricoordinated Ni^I moieties are strongly antiferromagnetically coupled. Compound 4 is the product of an initial salt metathesis, followed by an intramolecular redox process that separates the original hydride ligand into two electrons, which reduce the metal centres, and a proton, which is trapped by one of the binding pockets, thereby converting it into an olefin ligand on one of the Ni^I centres. The addition of a mild acid to complex 4 leads to the elimination of H₂ and the formation of a Ni^IINi^II compound, (PYR)Ni(μ‐SEt)NiOTf] ( 5 ), so that the original Ni^II(μ‐SEt)Ni^IIX core of compound 3 is restored. All of these compounds were fully characterized, including by X‐ray diffraction, and their molecular structures, as well as their formation processes, are discussed.