Organoamido- and aryloxo-lanthanoids. xii. the coordination chemistry of bis(2-phenylindol-1-yl)ytterbium(ii), and the x-ray crystal structures of yb(pin)2(diglyme)(thf) and [yb(pin)2(dme)]2 (pin = 2-phenylindol-1-yl, diglyme = bis(2-methoxyethyl) ether, thf equals tetrahydrofuran, dme = 1, 2-dimethoxyethane)

With the facile displacement being utilized of thf from Yb(pin)2(thf)4 (pin = 2-phenylindol-1-yl, thf = tetrahydrofuran) in toluene solution, the complexes Yb(pin)2(dme)2 (dme = 1, 2- dimethoxyethane), Yb(pin)2 (tmen)(tmen = N, N, N′, N′-tetramethylethane-1, 2-diamine) and Yb(pin)2(diglyme)(thf) (diglyme = bis(2-methoxyethyl) ether) have been prepared from the respective ligands and Yb(pin)2(thf)4. Yb(pin)2 (diglyme) (thf) [monoclinic, space group P 21 /c, a 15.35(1), b 16.179(5), c 14.45(2) Å, β 107.51(8)°, Z 4, R 0.044 for 2956 (I > 3σ(I)) ‘observed’ reflections] has a monomeric six-coordinate structure with transoid nitrogen donor atoms, N-Yb-N 143.6(4)° and an irregular coordination polyhedron described as either a distorted trigonal prism or a monocapped square pyramid. Attempted crystallization of Yb(pin)2 (thf) by partial desolvation of Yb(pin)2(thf)4 in hot toluene, containing a trace of dme, gave a mixture of red Yb(pin)2(thf) and orange [Yb(pin)2(dme)]2. The latter was independently synthesized by partial desolvation of Yb(pin)2(dme)2 in toluene. An X-ray crystal structure showed [Yb(pin)2(dme)]2 [monoclinic, space group P 21/c, a 11.614(2), b 15.945(7), c 15.327(4) Å, β 110.19(2)°, Z 2 dimers, R 0.070 for 2314 (I ≥ 3σ(I)) ‘observed’ reflections] to be a dimer with two bridging pin ligands, coordinated through nitrogen only. There is an approximately square pyramidal five-coordinate ytterbium environment with an apical dme oxygen, and with two bridging nitrogens, a terminal nitrogen, and a dme oxygen in the basal plane.