Scandium,yttrium, and ytterbium bisalkyl complexes stabilized by monoanionic amidopyridinate ligands

A reaction of Sc, Y, and Yb amidopyridinate dichlorides with the corresponding amount of LiCH₂SiMe₃ was used to synthesize bis(trimethylsilylmethyl) complexes (Ap)Ln(CH₂SiMe₃)₂-(THF) (Ap is N-mesityl-6-(2,4,6-triisopropylphenyl)pyridine-2-amide (Ap^9Me), Ln = Y (2); Ap is N-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-6-(2,4,6-triisopropylphenyl)pyridine-2-amide (Ap*), Ln = Sc (3), Yb (4)). An exchange reaction of yttrium amidopyridinate dichloride derivative 1 with 4 equiv. of Bu^tLi in hexane gave the corresponding di-tert-butyl derivative Ap^9MeY(Bu^t)₂(THF) (5). Molecular structures of complexes 3 and 4 were established by X-ray diffraction. A method of the ligand solid angles was used to calculate the completion degree of the metal atom coordination sphere for the series of isomorphic derivatives (Ap*)Ln(CH₂SiMe₃)₂(THF) containing the central metal ions with different ionic radii (Sc, Y, Yb, Lu). According to this method, the amidopyridinate ligand solid angle in these complexes virtually does not vary, while the solid angles of coordinated THF molecule and alkyl ligands vary within a wide range.