The preparation of beryllium diaryls by exchange reactions: diarylberyllium co-ordination complexes

Abstract

Diphenylberyllium is formed in high yield by exchange between diethylberyllium and either triphenylborane or diphenylmercury. Other diaryls R₂Be (R =o-tolyl, m-tolyl, p-xylyl, p-chlorophenyl, and 1-naphthyl) have been prepared by exchange with appropriate triarylboranes. The first three listed are dimeric in benzene, the others being practically insoluble. The diethylberyllium–R₃B exchange procedure did not yield the desired beryllium compounds when R was benzyl, mesityl, isopropyl, cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl, or pentafluorophenyl.

Co-ordination complexes described include the N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylethylenediamine complexes of di-o-tolyl-, di-m-tolyl-, di-p-xylyl-, and bispentafluorophenyl-beryllium, the bispyridine complexes of di-o-tolyl-, di-m-tolyl-, di-1-naphthyl-, and bispentafluorophenyl-beryllium, dibenzylberyllium–diethyl ether, di-o-tolylberyllium–tri-methylamine, dimesitylberyllium–trimethylamine, and di-m-tolylberyllium–1,2-dimethoxyethane. Lithium tri-o-tolylberyllate has been prepared.