Iminopyridine Ligand Complexes of Group 14 Dihalides and -Ditriflates – Neutral Chelates and Ion Pair Formation

Reaction of the chelating imino-pyridine ligand SIMPY, (SIMPY=2-(DippN=CH)-C5H4N), Dipp=2,6-iPr2-C6H3, with germanium(II) and tin(II) halides provides the respective neutral complexes [SIMPY·EX2] (EX2: E=Ge, X=Cl, Br; E=Sn, X=Cl, Br, I). The method is readily extendable to give the tin(II) triflate complex [SIMPY·Sn(OTf)2] (OTf, triflate=CF3SO3−). In the solid state, the neutral compounds [SIMPY·EX2] exist as monomers, in which the four-coordinate tetrel atoms feature a slightly distorted disphenoidal geometry around germanium and tin. Reaction of the tridentate imino-pyridine ligand DIMPY, (DIMPY=2,6-(DippN=CH)2-C5H3N) with Sn(OTf)2 provided access to a neutral tin(II) complex. Similar to the previously reported reactions leading to the germanium and tin chloride complexes [DIMPY·SnCl]+[SnCl3]−, and [Me2DIMPY·EX]+[EX3]− (Me2DIMPY=2,6-(DippN=C(Me))2-C5H3N, E=Ge, Sn; X=Cl), the reactions of DIMPY with GeX2·dioxane (X=Cl, Br) and SnX2 (X=Br, I) yielded Ge(II) and Sn(II) based ion pairs [DIMPY·EX]+[EX3]− (E=Ge, X=Cl, Br; E=Sn, X=Br, I) as a consequence of spontaneous dissociation of the group 14 dihalides. The tetrel atoms in the cationic parts in [DIMPY·EX]+[EX3]− are four-coordinate as one halide substituent is replaced by the coordination of a second imino donor group from the ligand. The anionic fragments adopt a pyramidally, tri-coordinate geometry. In contrast, the DIMPY tin(II) ditriflate complex crystallizes with two independent, neutral molecules per asymmetric unit, in which one of the tin centers is five- coordinate by interaction with three donor sites of the chelating bis(imino)pyridine ligand and two additional contacts towards the oxygen atoms of the triflate counter-anions. In the second crystallographically independent complex the tin atom is six-coordinate with a slightly distorted octahedral geometry via interaction with THF as an additional donor molecule. All compounds reported were studied by means of multinuclear NMR spectroscopy. In addition, the solid state structures of the complexes [SIMPY·EX2] (EX2: E=Ge, X=Cl, Br; E=Sn, X=Cl, Br, I), the ion pairs [DIMPY·EX]+[EX3]− (E=Ge, X=Cl; E=Sn, X=Br) and the tin(II) ditriflate [DIMPY·Sn(OTf)2] were authenticated by means of single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses. Moreover, [DIMPY·Sn(OTf)2] was investigated by 119Sn Mössbauer spectroscopy.