Hydrocarbon-soluble calcium hydride: a "worker-bee" in calcium chemistry

The reactivity of the hydrocarbon-soluble calcium hydride complex [{CaH(dipp-nacnac)(thf)}(2)] (1; dipp-nacnac=CH{(CMe)(2,6-iPr(2)C(6)H(3)N)}(2)) with a large variety of substrates has been investigated. Addition of 1 to C=O and C=N functionalities gave easy access to calcium alkoxide and amide complexes. Similarly, reduction of the C[triple chemical bond]N bond in a cyanide or an isocyanide resulted in the first calcium aldimide complexes [Ca{N=C(H)R}(dipp-nacnac)] and [Ca{C(H)=NR}(dipp-nacnac)], respectively. Complexation of 1 with borane or alane Lewis acids gave the borates and alanates as contact ion pairs. In reaction with epoxides, nucleophilic ring-opening is observed as the major reaction. The high reactivity of hydrocarbon-soluble 1 with most functional groups contrasts strongly with that of insoluble CaH(2), which is essentially inert and is used as a common drying agent. Crystal structures of the following products are presented: [{Ca{OC(H)Ph(2)}(dipp-nacnac)}(2)], [{Ca{N=C(H)Ph}(dipp-nacnac)}(2)], [{Ca{C(H)=NC(Me)(2)CH(2)C(Me)(3)}(dipp-nacnac)}(2)], [{Ca{C(H)=NCy}(dipp-nacnac)}(2)], [Ca(dipp-nacnac)(thf)](+)[H(2)BC(8)H(14)](-) and [{Ca(OCy)(dipp-nacnac)}(2)]. The generally smooth and clean conversions of 1 with a variety of substrates and the stability of most intermediates against ligand exchange make 1 a valuable key precursor in the syntheses of a wide variety of beta-diketiminate calcium complexes.