V.-Cumaran Arunasalam, Ian Baxter, Simon R. Drake, Michael B. Hursthouse, K. M. Abdul Malik, Stewart A. S. Miller, D. Michael P. Mingos
and David J. Otway
The reaction of the Group 2 metal hydroxides, oxides or carbonates in 95% ethanol in the presence of a suitable glyme ligand L–L [i.e. Me(OCH2CH2)nOMe, n = 3, 4 or 7] and a β-diketone, has yielded either [M(β-diket)2(L–L)] or [{M(β-diket)2}2(L–L)] [M = Mg–Ba; β-diket = Htmhd (2,2,6,6-tetramethylheptane-3,5-dione), Hhfpd (1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoropentane-2,4-dione), Hdppd (1,3-diphenylpropane-1,3-dione) or Hfod (1,1,1,2,2,3,3-heptafluoro-7,7-dimethyloctane-4,6-dione, L–L = tri-, tetra- or hepta-glyme)]. The crystal structure of the complex [{Ca(hfpd)2}2(heptaglyme)] has been determined, revealing it to contain two Ca(hfpd)2 units linked by a glyme ligand in an unusual symmetrical bridging/chelating mode.