Bis(amido)magnesium mediated aldol additions: first structural characterisation of an amidomagnesium aldolate intermediate

Abstract

Bis(hexamethyldisilazido)magnesium has successfully been used to mediate aldol additions of selected ketones and aldehydes in hydrocarbon media, and the structure of an intermediate amido(aldolate), [{(Me₃Si)₂NMg[µ-OC(Me)- Bu^tCH₂C(Bu^t)=O]}₂] 17, produced by the self-coupled reaction of pinacolone has been characterised by X-ray crystallography.