Novel hypervalent complexes of main-group metals by intramolecular ligand-->metal electron transfer

New fascinating electronic features of the simple diketoamine chelate ligand HN[CH2C(tBu)=O]2 (1) are described. Unexpectedly, the corresponding trianionic amido-dienolate form of 1 is capable of reducing main-group metal atoms M after initial coordination and intramolecular L-->M two-electron transfer and of stabilizing main-group elements in unusual low oxidation states. This is impressively shown by the synthesis and structural characterization of the novel Ge and Sn complexes 4-6 by redox reactions of lithiated 1 with the corresponding metal halides GeCl4 and MCl2 (M=Ge, Sn). Surprisingly, conversion of tris-lithiated 1 with GeCl4 readily consumes two molar equivalents of GeCl4 and results in the formation of the neutral GeCl3 complex 4 and GeCl2. The former represents the second example of a structurally characterized neutral octahedrally coordinated germanium compound. Reaction of dilithiated 1 with GeCl2 does not lead to the expected ClGe(+2) complex but affords the novel dimeric germylene 5, whereas similar reaction using SnCl2 furnishes the monomeric stannylene (ClSn(+2) complex) 2 and elemental tin due to the higher oxidation potential of Sn(+2). Unexpectedly, a similar redox reaction of dilithiated 1 with PbCl2 furnishes the first air- and water-stable lithium 1,2-diketoimine-enolate 7 and elemental lead. Compound 7 is tetrameric in the solid state and consists of a strongly distorted Li4O4 cubic core with trigonal-bipyramidal coordinated Li+ ions.