Reaction of the lithium amides [(2-C
5H
4N)C(CH
3){CH
2N(Li)SiMe
3}
2]
2 (
2a) and [(2-C
5H
4N)C(CH
3){CH
2N(Li)SiMe
2tBu}
2]
2 (
2b) with the imidotransition metal complexes [Ti(N
tBu)Cl
2(py)
3], [Ti(N-2,6-C
6H
3iPr
2)Cl
2(py)
3],and [Zr(N-2,6-C
6H
3iPr
2)Cl
2(thf)
2] yielded the five-coordinate imido-titanium and -zirconium complexes [{
3N-(2-C
5H
4N)C(CH
3)(CH
2NSiMe
2R)
2}Ti(NR')(py)] (R = Me, R' =
tBu:
3a, R=
tBu, R' =
tBu:
3b, R = Me,R' = 2,6-C
6H
3iPr
2:
4a, R = Me, R' = 2,6-C
6H
3Me
2:
4b) and [{
3N-(2-C
5H
4N)C(CH
3)(CH
2NSiMe
3)
2}Zr(N-2,6-C
6H
3iPr
2)(py)] (
5). The tridentate diamido-pyridine ligand adopts a facial coordination mode in the distortedtrigonal bipyramidal complexes with the imido ligand occupying an equatorial position, as was established byX-ray diffraction for
3a and
5. Sublimation of
3a and
4a yielded the pure four-coordinate imidotitanium complexes[{
3N-(2-C
5H
4N)C(CH
3)(CH
2NSiMe
3)
2}Ti(NR')] (R' =
tBu:
6, 2,6-C
6H
3iPr
2:
7) which were structurallycharacterized by X-ray crystallography. Reaction of
3a with the Lewis acid B(C
6F
5)
3 also led to abstraction ofthe axially bound pyridine ligand and the formation of the adduct [py-B(C
6F
5)
3] and
6. Reaction of
6 with thf,PMe
3, and pyridine led to the formation of pentacoordinate complexes [{
3N-(2-C
5H
4N)C(CH
3)(CH
2NSiMe
3)
2}Ti(N
tBu)(thf)] (
8), [{
3N-(2-C
5H
4N)C(CH
3)(CH
2NSiMe
3)
2}Ti(N
tBu)(PMe
3)] (
9), and [{
3N-(2-C
5H
4N)C(CH
3)(CH
2NSiMe
3)
2}Ti(N
tBu)(py)] (
3a) in which the donor ligands occupy axial positions.