Rare-earth metal methylidene complexes with Ln3(μ3-CH2)(μ3-Me)(μ2-Me)3 core structure.

Area of Science:

• Organometallic Chemistry
• Rare-Earth Metal Complexes

Background:

• Synthesis of rare-earth metal alkyl complexes is crucial for developing novel organometallic compounds.
• Methylidene complexes are key intermediates in various catalytic transformations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize novel trinuclear rare-earth metal methylidene complexes.
• To investigate the reactivity of these methylidene complexes.

Main Methods:

• Three synthetic protocols were employed, including reactions with sterically demanding amines and Lewis base-induced methylaluminate cleavage.
• Characterization involved elemental analyses, FTIR, NMR spectroscopy, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction.
• Reactivity was assessed using Tebbe-like reactions with 9-fluorenone.

Main Results:

• Isolable monomeric and trinuclear rare-earth metal methylidene complexes with a Ln3(μ3-CH2)(μ3-Me)(μ2-Me)3 structural motif were successfully synthesized.
• The molecular composition and structure of the synthesized complexes were confirmed through various analytical techniques.
• The methylidene complex 7-Nd demonstrated Tebbe-like reactivity, yielding an oxo complex.

Conclusions:

• The study presents efficient synthetic routes to novel trinuclear rare-earth metal methylidene complexes.
• These complexes serve as valuable precursors for further organometallic transformations.
• The established synthetic methodologies and reactivity studies contribute to the understanding of rare-earth metal chemistry.