Mononuclear and Terminal Zirconium and Hafnium Methylidenes

Abstract

The dimethyl aryloxide complexes [(PNP)M(CH3)2(OAr)] (M=Zr or Hf; PNP(-)=N[2-P(CHMe2)2-4-methylphenyl]2); Ar=2,6-iPr2C6H3), which were readily prepared from [(PNP)M(CH3)3] by alcoholysis with HOAr, undergo photolytically induced α-hydrogen abstraction to cleanly produce complexes [(PNP)M=CH2(OAr)] with terminal methylidene ligands. These unique systems have been fully characterized, including the determination of a solid-state structure in the case of M=Zr.