Synthesis and Structural Characterisation of an Isomorphous Series of Bis(imidazolin-2-imine) Metal Dichlorides Containing the First Row Transition Metals Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu and Zn

The bis(imidazolin-2-imine) ligand N,N'-bis(1,3-diisopropyl-4,5-dimethylimidazolin-2-ylidene)-1,2-ethanediamine (BL(iPr)) was used to synthesize a complete series of transition metal dichloride complexes of the type [(BL(iPr))MCl(2)] with M = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn. The molecular structure of each complex was established by X-ray diffraction analysis; the complexes are isomorphous and crystallize in the monoclinic space group C2/c, which allows comparison of their structural parameters in a constant packing environment. The complexes exhibit distorted tetrahedral coordination around the metal atoms with the dihedral angles between the MN(2) and MCl(2) planes ranging from 53.9 degrees (M = Cu) to 75.5 degrees (M = Zn).