Hexanuclear Wheel‐Shaped Lithium N‐(2,6‐Diisopropylphenyl)‐N′‐(2‐pyridylethyl)benzamidinate

Lithiation of N‐(2,6‐diisopropylphenyl)‐N′‐(2‐pyridylethyl)benzamidine ( 1 ) with LiN(SiMe₃)₂ in a solvent mixture of toluene and TMEDA yields hexameric lithium N‐(2,6‐diisopropylphenyl)‐N′‐(2‐pyridylethyl)benzamidinate ( 2 ), which can be purified by recrystallization from a solvent mixture of toluene and THF. The three‐coordinate lithium ions have T‐shaped coordination spheres. The negative charge is delocalized within the 1,3‐diazaallylic system, which adopts a (syn‐Z)‐arrangement.