Structural characterization and reactivity studies of the samarium aryloxide complex Sm(O-2,6-Pr 2 iC 6H 3) 3(THF) 2

• Published in: Polyhedron Vol. 15; no. 13; pp. 2279 - 2289
• Main Authors: Clark, David L., Gordon, John C., Watkin, John G., Huffman, John C., Zwick, Bill D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 1996
• ISSN: 0277-5387
• DOI: 10.1016/0277-5387(95)00351-7

Reaction of the samarium aryloxide bis-THF adduct Sm(OAr) 3(THF) 2 ( 1; Ar = 2,6-Pr 2 iC 6H 3) with two equivalents of pyridine produces the bis-pyridine complex Sm(OAr) 3py 2 ( 2) in 85% yield. Compound 1 also reacts with an excess of pyridine to form the tris-pyridine adduct Sm(OAr) 3py 3 ( 3) in excellent yield. Addition of one equivalent of KOAr to 1 leads to the isolation of the potassium salt K[Sm(OAr) 4] ( 4) in high yield. The salt 4 reacts with one equivalent of pyridine to form the mono-pyridine adduct K[Sm(OAr) 4py] ( 5). Compounds 1–5 have been characterized by 1H NMR and IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis and, in the case of 1, by a single-crystal X-ray diffraction study. In the solid state, 1 adopts a trigonal bipyramidal structure in which THF ligands occupy axial sites. Sm O distances to the aryloxide ligands average 2.14(2)A˚, while those to THF ligands average 2.45(2)A˚.