New motifs in lithium zincate chemistry: a solid-state structural study of PhC(O)N(R)ZnR′2Li·2thf (R, R′ = alkyl, aryl) and [PhC(O)N(Ph)Li·thf]·[PhC(O)N(Ph)Zn(But)2Li·thf]
Abstract
The facile reaction of ZnMe2 with secondary carboxylic amides of the type PhC(O)N(R)H (R = Me 14, Pri15, Ph 16) yields PhC(O)N(R)ZnMe (R = Me 17, Pri18, Ph 19). These complexes describe a hexamer (for 17) and tetramers (for 18 and 19) in the solid state which are best viewed as stacks of cyclic trimers and dimers, respectively. In turn, 17–19 react with ButLi to afford either the lithium zincate PhC(O)N(R)Zn(But)2Li·2thf (R = Me 20, Pri21) or the co-complex [PhC(O)N(Ph)Li·thf]·[PhC(O)N(Ph)Zn(But)2Li·thf]
22. In the solid state both 20 and 21 reveal dimeric structures based on a (LiO)2 core in which each