Novel arylimides of phosphorus(III) and arsenic(III)[the arsazene being the first stable compound containing an asIIIN double bond]; X-ray structures of E(NAr)(NHAr)(E = P or As, Ar = C6H2But3-2,4,6)

Abstract

Treatment of PCl₃ or AsCl₃ with 3Li(NHAr)(Ar = C₆H₂Bu^t₃-2,4,6) affords the novel two co-ordinate P^III or As^III imides E(NAr)(NHAr)[E = P (1) or E = As (2)] which undergo slow prototropy in C₆D₆; for the isomorphous compounds (1) and (2), /(EN) and ∠ NEN for (1)[in square brackets for (2)] are 1.573(8) and 1.633(8)Å[1.714(7) and 1.745(7)Å] and 103.8(5)°[98.8(3)°], respectively.