Synthesis and Reactivity of Alkali Metal Hydrido-Magnesiate Complexes which Exhibit Group 1 Metal Counter-Cation Specific Stability

Reactions of the series of alkali metal amides M(HMDS) (M = Li – Cs; HMDS = [N(SiMe3)2]-) with the neutral magnesium(II) hydride compound [Mg(BDIDipp)(μ-H)]2 (BDIDipp = [CH{C(Me)NDipp}2]-, Dipp = 2,6-iPr2-C6H3) have been carried out. When M = Li or Na the reactions yielded Mg(BDIDipp)(HMDS) and MH as the primary products. In the sodium amide reaction [Na2(HMDS)][{Mg(BDIDipp)}2(H)3] was obtained as a low-yield by-product. When M = K–Cs, the reactions gave the group 1 metal hydrido-magnesiates M2[Mg(BDIDipp)(HMDS)(H)]2·(benzene)n (n = 0 or 1), the thermal stability of which increases with increasing molecular weight of the alkali metal involved. Reactions of Cs2[Mg(BDIDipp)(HMDS)(H)]2·(benzene) with 18-crown-6 and CO gave the first monomeric alkali metal hydrido-magnesiate [Cs(18-crown-6)][Mg(BDIDipp)(HMDS)(H)] and the ethenediolate complex Cs2[{Mg(BDIDipp)(HMDS)}2(-C2H2O2)], respectively. The new synthetic route to alkali metal hydrido-magnesiates described herein may facilitate further reactivity studies of this rare compound class.