Magnesium bis(amidinate) and bis(guanidinate) complexes: impact of the ligand backbone and bridging groups on the coordination behaviour

A library of ten dinucleating bis(amidine) and bis(guanidine) ligands, in which the bridging groups, terminal rests, and backbone substituents were systematically altered, has been synthesized and subsequently applied in metallation reactions using three different magnesium sources. Eight Mg complexes could be isolated and fully characterized, and in seven cases their solid-state structure could be determined by means of single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The results evidence a versatile coordination behaviour, which ranges from the first dinuclear heteroleptic magnesium iodide complex to dinuclear homoleptic complexes. These findings indicate the crucial impact of both the ligand and the magnesium source not only on the accessibility of well-defined dinuclear complexes but also on the aggregation in solution and in the solid state.