Synthesis and structures of lithium N-trimethylsilyl- and -neopentyl-anilides and their Et2O and tmen adducts; crystal structures of [(Li{mu-N(Ph)R}-trans)(2)(mu-tmen)](infinity) (R = SiMe3 1 or CH2But 2) and [Li{mu-N(Ph)CH2But}(OEt2)](2)

Treatment of N-trimethylsilyl- or -neopentyl-aniline successively with n-bu tyllithium and tmen in hexane yielded the crystalline polymeric lithium ami des [(Li{mu -N(Ph)R}-trans)(2)(mu -tmen)](infinity) (R=SiMe3 1 or CH2But 2) , which contain the rare bridging, rather than chelating, tmen ligands. Det ails are also provided of: (i) the preparation of crystalline [Li{N(Ph)SiMe 3}](4), hydrocarbon-insoluble [Li{N(Ph)CH2But}](n), and diethyl ether adduc ts [Li{mu -N(Ph)R-trans}(OEt2)](2) (R=SiMe3 or CH2But); (ii) variable tempe rature multinuclear NMR spectra in toluene-d(8) and (iii) three crystal str uctures.