Homoleptic carbene complexes VI. Bis{1,1′-methylene-3,3′-dialkyl-diimidazolin-2,2′-diylidene}palladium chelate complexes by the free carbene route

1,1′-Methylene-3,3′-dialkyldiimidazolium salts have been deprotonated with n-butylithium in the presence of palladium(II) iodide to give the percarbene complexes 1 (alkyl=Me) and 2 (alkyl=Et), each containing two bidentate 1,1′-methylene-3,3′-dialkyldiimidazolin-2,2′-diylidene chelate ligands. The X-ray structure analysis of 1 reveals a stereochemistry in which the two spiro-linked six-membered metallacycles adopt boat-like conformations strongly bending out of the PdC₄ coordination plane in opposite directions. The carbenoid imidazole rings, which are rotated by +42 and ?43°, respectively, relative to this plane, break down into two tightly bound π-systems (N=4C=4N,= C=C) connected by long C---N bonds.