Organoamido- and aryloxo-lanthanoids, 23 - Aryl ether C-O bond activation by organoamidolanthanoid(II) complexes

The reaction of ytterbium metal, HgPh2 and N-(2-methoxyphenyl) -N-(trimethy lsilyl) amine ((LH)-H-1) or N-(2-phenoxyphenyl)-N-(trimethylsilyl)amine ((L H)-H-2) in tetrahydrofuran (thf) unexpectedly yielded the ytterbium(III) co mplexes [Yb(L-1)(2)(mu -oMe)](2) (1) and [Yb(L-2)(2)(OPh)(thf)] (2), the st ructures of which were established by X-ray crystallography. These are cons idered to be derived from C-O bond cleavage of the ligand aryl ether moiety by an initially formed Yb-II species, e.g, the thermally unstable, but cry stallographically authenticated [Yb(L-1)(2)(thf)(2)] (3), which was indepen dently prepared from [Yb{N(SiMe3)(2)}(2)(thf)(2)] and (LH)-H-1.