Crystal structure of a three-coordinate lithium complex with monodentate phenyl-oxazoline and hexa-methyl-disilyl-amide ligands.

The reaction of lithium hexa-methyl-disilyl-amide, [Li{N(Si(CH))}] (LiHMDS), with 4,4-dimethyl-2-phenyl-2-oxazoline (Phox, CHNO) in hexane produced colourless crystals of bis-(4,4-dimethyl-2-phenyl-2-oxazoline-κ)(hexa-methyl-disilyl-amido-κ)lithium, [Li(CHNSi)(CHNO)] or [Li{N(Si(CH))}(Phox)] in high yield (89%). Despite the 1:1 proportion of the starting materials in the reaction mixture, the product formed with a 1:2 amide:oxazoline ratio. In the unit cell of the 2/ space group, the neutral mol-ecules lie on twofold rotation axes coinciding with the Li-N(amide) bonds.