Anomalous reactions of the diamine Me2NCH2NMe2 with nickel(ii) and cobalt(ii)

Abstract

The diamine Me₂NCH₂NMe₂ (tmmn) is capable of forming simple adducts with most metal(II) ions of the first transition series, but with nickel and cobalt a variety of additional products can be obtained from its reaction with the dihalides. The diamine may be monodentate or bidentate, it may (formally) lose a hydride to generate a cation, and each N–C bond may break, generating new products containing additional methyl groups or the ions (Me₂NH₂)⁺ or (Me₂NCH₂)⁺.