Gas-phase electron diffraction study of tris(trimethylstannyl)amine,N(SnMe3)3

The geometrical parameters of tris(trimethylstannyl)amine have been determined by gas-phase electron diffraction. The _a structure has been refined using mean amplitude values calculated from the force fields of a number of tin derivatives.The experimental data are consistent with a planar bond configuration at the nitrogen in N(SnMe₃)₃. The final set of geometrical parameters is as follows (average bond distances, r_g , in Å, angles in degrees): SnC 2.166(5), SnN 2.038(3), CH 1.117(17). NSnC 108.5(1.5), SnCH 112.1(1.6). Mean amplitude values have been varied for those distances which give considerable contributions to scattering.The results obtained fill a gap in the knowledge of structures of Group IV element μ-nitrido derivatives. They confirm the conclusion that lowering of ligand MR_n electro-negativity weakens the tendency to deviation from planarity in the central fragment NM₃. This tendency may be considered as a manifestation of the second-order Jahn-Teller effect.