Structure and properties of double‐C,N‐chelated tri‐ and diorganotin(IV) halides

Tri‐ and di‐organotin(IV) compounds containing one or two 2‐(dimethylaminomethyl)phenyl‐ (L^CN) groups as chelating ligands were prepared by reactions of lithium compound L^CNLi with an appropriate amount of (organo)tin halide. The geometry of tin in 1 ((L^CN)₂SnPhCl) is on the boundary between octahedral and trigonal bipyramidal. The diorganotin compounds 2–4 ((L^CN)₂SnX₂, where X = Cl, Br, I) have a distorted octahedral geometry in the solid state and show dynamic processes in solution with a lowering of activation energy of the dynamic process going from diiodide to dichloride derivative. Compound 5 (L^CNSnPhCl₂) has a trigonal bipyramidal structure with non‐equivalent chlorine atoms. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.