Reactions of Cp2M (M = Ni, V) with dilithium diamido-aryl reagents; retention and oxidation of the transition metal ions.

The reactions of dilithium 1,2-diamidobenzene, [1,2-(HN)2C6H4]Li2 (L(1)H2)Li2, and dilithium 1,8-diamidonaphthalene, [1,8-(NH)2C10H6]Li2 (L(2)H2)Li2, with Cp2Ni and Cp2V have been used to obtain the new complexes (L(2)H2)2Ni{Li(THF)2}2 (3), (L(2)H2)3V{Li(THF)2}3 (4) and (L(1)H2)6Ni6·{[(L(1)H2)3(L(1)H)3Ni6Li(THF)](2-)·2[Li(THF)4](+)} (5), in which retention or oxidation of the initial metal(ii) centre is observed. Whereas 3 and 4 contain one transition metal ion within ion-paired structures, 5 has a complicated co-crystalline composition which contains octahedral Ni6-cages constructed from six square-planar (16e) Ni(II) centres.