Reactivity of TpMe2‐Supported Yttrium Alkyl Complexes toward Aromatic N‐Heterocycles: Ring‐Opening or CC Bond Formation Directed by CH Activation

Unusual chemical transformations such as three‐component combination and ring‐opening of N‐heterocycles or formation of a carbon–carbon double bond through multiple C–H activation were observed in the reactions of Tp^Me2‐supported yttrium alkyl complexes with aromatic N‐heterocycles. The scorpionate‐anchored yttrium dialkyl complex Tp^Me2Y(CH₂Ph)₂(THF)] reacted with 1‐methylimidazole in 1:2 molar ratio to give a rare hexanuclear 24‐membered rare‐earth metallomacrocyclic compound Tp^Me2Y(μ‐N,C‐Im)(η²‐N,C‐Im)]₆ ( 1 ; Im=1‐methylimidazolyl) through two kinds of C–H activations at the C2‐ and C5‐positions of the imidazole ring. However, Tp^Me2Y(CH₂Ph)₂(THF)] reacted with two equivalents of 1‐methylbenzimidazole to afford a C–C coupling/ring‐opening/C–C coupling product Tp^Me2Y{η³‐(N,N,N)‐N(CH₃)C₆H₄NHCH?C(Ph)CN(CH₃)C₆H₄NH}] ( 2 ). Further investigations indicated that Tp^Me2Y(CH₂Ph)₂(THF)] reacted with benzothiazole in 1:1 or 1:2 molar ratio to produce a C–C coupling/ring‐opening product {(Tp^Me2)Yμ‐η²:η¹‐SC₆H₄N(CH?CHPh)](THF)}₂ ( 3 ). Moreover, the mixed Tp^Me2/Cp yttrium monoalkyl complex (Tp^Me2)CpYCH₂Ph(THF)] reacted with two equivalents of 1‐methylimidazole in THF at room temperature to afford a trinuclear yttrium complex Tp^Me2CpY(μ‐N,C‐Im)]₃ ( 5 ), whereas when the above reaction was carried out at 55 °C for two days, two structurally characterized metal complexes Tp^Me2Y(Im‐Tp^Me2)] ( 7 ; Im‐Tp^Me2=1‐methyl‐imidazolyl‐Tp^Me2) and Cp₃Y(HIm)] ( 8 ; HIm=1‐methylimidazole) were obtained in 26 and 17 % isolated yields, respectively, accompanied by some unidentified materials. The formation of 7 reveals an uncommon example of construction of a C?C bond through multiple C–H activations.