Tetraphenylallylsodium Diethyl Ether: A Contact Ion Pair with an Intramolecular Na^⊕ Sandwich

Abstract

A dibenzenesodium sandwich and an ether “plug” are the salient features of the structure of 1. The structural changes occurring on reduction of tetraphenylallene to 1 are similar to those previously found from MNDO calculations for the reduction of allene. MNDO calculations also offer an explanation for the observed coordination of the sodium ion: the sum of the charges on the two complexing benzene rings is greater than that of an allyl anion center.