Tetrasubstituted guanidinate anions as supporting ligands in organoyttrium chemistry

Addition of N(SiMe3)(2) anion equivalents to (PrN)-Pr-i=C=(NPr)-Pr-i followed by reaction with YCl3 generated the dimeric complex {[(Me3Si)(2)NC((NPr)-Pr-i)(2)] P(mu -Cl)}(2) (2). Complex 2 has proven to be an excellent starting material for preparation of a series of hydrocarbyl and amido products, [(Me3Si)(2)NC((NPr)-Pr-i)(2)](2)YCH(SiMe3)(2) (3), [(Me3Si)(2)NC((NPr)-Pr-i)(2)](2)YN(SiMe3)(2) (4), [(Me-3-Si)(2)NC((NPr)-Pr-i)(2)](2) Y-2(mu -Me)(2)Li[Me2NCH2CH2NMe2] (5), and [(Me3Si)(2)NC((NPr)-Pr-i)(2)](2)YC(CH3)(3) (6) Definitive evidence for the molecular structures of 2, 3, 5, and 6 is provided through single-crystal X-ray analyses, which are presented. These results provide the first reported examples of organoyttrium complexes supported by a guanidinate ligand.