Syntheses and Molecular Structures of 2-(1-Methyliminoethyl)phenolato Zinc Complexes

2-(1-Methyliminoethyl)phenol ( 1 a ) reacts with diethyl zinc to give bis[2-(1-methyliminoethyl)phenolato]zinc ( 3 ) via [2-(1-methyliminoethyl)phenolato]ethylzinc ( 2 ) as an intermediate. The complex 3 is also formed in the reaction of bis(trimethylsilyl)amide zinc with 1 a . The compounds were characterized by microanalysis, NMR (¹H, ¹³C) and IR spectroscopy. X-ray structure analysis of the compounds 2 and 3 revealed that both compounds form in the solid state dimeric species where the monomeric units are bridged via two oxygen atoms forming a planar Zn₂O₂ ring with tetrahedral [ZnO₂NC] and trigonal-bipyramidal [ZnO₃N₂] coordination of the zinc atom, respectively.