β-Diiminatolanthanoid(III) halides revisited

The crystalline compounds [LnCl2(L)(thf)2] [Ln = Ce (1), Tb (2), Yb (3)], [NdI2(L)(thf)2] (4), [LnCl(L′)2] [Ln = Tb (5), Yb (6) (a known compound)] and [YbCl(L′′)(μ-Cl)2Li(OEt2)2] (7) have been prepared [L = {N(C6H3Pri2-2,6)C(H)}2CPh, L′ = {N(SiMe3)C(Ph)}2CH, L′′ = {N(SiMe3)C(C6H4Ph-4)}2CH]. The X-ray molecular structures of 2–7 have been established; in each, the monoanionic ligand L, L′ or L′′ is N,N′-chelating and essentially π-delocalised. Each of 1–7 was prepared from the appropriate LnCl3, or for 4 [NdI3(thf)2], and an equivalent portion of the appropriate alkali metal [Li for 7, Na for 2, 3 and 5, or K for 1, 4 and 6] β-diiminate in thf; the isolation of exclusively 5 and 6 (rather than the L′ analogues of 2 or 3) is noteworthy, as is the structure of 7 which has no precedent in Group 3 or 4f metal β-diiminato chemistry.