R. John Errington, Mustafa Tombul, Gary L. P. Walker, William Clegg, Sarah L. Heath and Lynne Horsburgh
The new molecular phenoxides [BaB2(OPh)8(thf)4] 1 and [BaB2(OPh)8(dme)2] 2 have been synthesised from B(OPh)3 and either a preformed barium phenoxide or barium mental in the presence of phenol; X-ray structure determinations reveal that the barium is eight-coordinate in both compounds and that the chelating [B(OPh)4]– groups occupy trans positions in 1 but cis positions in 2.