Preparation of niobium and tantalum organoimido complexes from reactions of the pentahalides with amines: The crystal and molecular structure of bis(t-butylamine)bis(t-butylimido)bis(μ-ethoxy)tetrachloroditantalum

MCl₅ (M = Nb, Ta) reacts with 2 equivalents of Me₃SiNHCMe₃ to give M(NCMe₃)Cl₃(NH₂CMe₃)] from which M(NCMe₃)Cl₃(PMe₃)₂] is obtained on addition of PMe₃. One equivalent of Me₃SiNHCMe₃ reacts with MCl₅ in the presence of 3 equivalents of PMe₃ to give M(NCMe₃)Cl₃(PMe₃)₂] and PMe₃HCl. MCl₅ reacts with excess RNH₂ (R = CMe₃, CHMe₂, CH₂Me) to give M(NR)(NHR)Cl₂(NH₂R)] and 3 equivalents of RNH₃Cl. One equivalent of alcohol replaces the amido ligand in M(NCMe₃)(NHCMe₃)Cl₂(NH₂CMe₃)] to give M(NCMe₃)(OR)Cl₂(NH₂CMe₃)]₂ (M = Nb, R = OCMe₃; M = Ta, R = OEt). The structure of Ta(NCMe₃)(μ-OEt)Cl₂(NH₂CMe₃)]₂ was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction methods. Crystals are triclinic, space group P$\text{1}$ with a = 9.900(5), b = 10. 161(17), c = 9.017(6) Å and α = 103.91(8), β = 97.77(4), γ = 64.40(7)°. The structure was solved by Patterson and Fourier methods and refined to an R value of 0.062 for 1319 observed data. The TaN_imido and TaN_amino bond lengths are 1.70(2) Å and 2.28(2) Å, respectively; the bridging TaO bond lengths are 2.01(2) Å and 2.32(2) Å, the longer one lying trans to the imido function.