Novel fluorenyl alkali metal DIGLYME complexes: synthesis and solid state structures

The reaction of the fluorenyl alkali metals with the tridentate Lewis base diethyleneglycol–dimethylether (DIGLYME) yielded the compounds [Li(DIGLYME)2]Fl (1, Fl=fluorenide anion), [Na(DIGLYME)2]Fl (2), [KFl(DIGLYME)]3 (3), [RbFl(DIGLYME)]9 (4), [CsFl(DIGLYME)]9 (5), [NaFl(DIGLYME)]2 (6), and [(KFl)2DIGLYME]n (7). The solid state structures of all complexes were determined by X-ray single crystal structure analysis. According to the X-ray analyses, the compounds 1 and 2 crystallize as solvent separated ion pairs, the complexes 3, 4, 5, and 6 as aggregates built up by two, three, or nine MFl(DIGLYME) units, and compound 7 as a polymeric band.