Formation and Redox Interconversion of Niobium Methylidene and Methylidyne Complexes

The niobium methylidene [{(Ar'O)2 Nb}2 (μ2 -Cl)2 (μ2 -CH2 )] (2) can be cleanly prepared via thermolysis or photolysis of [(Ar'O)2 Nb(CH3 )2 Cl] (1) (OAr'=2,6-bis(diphenylmethyl)-4-tert-butylphenoxide). Reduction of 2 with two equivalents of KC8 results in formation of the first niobium methylidyne [K][{(Ar'O)2 Nb}2 (μ2 -CH)(μ2 -H)(μ2 -Cl)] (3) via a binuclear α-hydrogen elimination. Oxidation of 3 with two equiv of ClCPh3 reforms 2. In addition to solid state X-ray analysis, all these complexes were elucidated via multinuclear NMR experiments and isotopic labelling studies, including a crossover experiment, support the notion for a radical mechanism as well as a binuclear α-hydrogen abstraction pathway being operative in the formation of 2 from 1.