Titanium imido complexes utilizing orthometallated derivatized acetophenone and piperonal imine ligands: synthesis,...

A series of five ortho-lithiated imines (Li-L(n); n = 1-5) was synthesized via the reaction of an aryl or alkyl acetophenone imine with n-butyllithium. The ortho-lithiated imines were subsequently reacted with Ti(NR)Cl(2)py(3) (R = C(CH(3))(3), 2,6-Me(2)C(6)H(3), 2,6-Et(2)C(6)H(3), or 2,6-(i)Pr(2)C(6)H(3)), yielding complexes of the form (L(n))(2)Ti(NR). Several of the resulting complexes [(L(1))(2)Ti(NC(CH(3))(3)), 1a; (L(3))(2)Ti(N-2,6-Me(2)C(6)H(3)), 3b; and (L(5))(2)Ti(NC(CH(3))(3)), 5a] were structurally characterized using small molecule X-ray diffraction. The C(2) symmetric complexes produced in these reactions displayed a distorted square pyramidal geometry. In each complex the titanium center was located above the square plane of the two coordinated bidentate ligands and the chelating C approximately N ligands were folded away from the metal center. When a less sterically demanding alkylimine was used (L(4)), the resulting complex was isolated as an equilibrium mixture of cis and trans isomers of the empirical formula (L(4))(2)Ti(NC(CH(3))(3))py (cis/trans 4a).