Structural Distortions in Six-Coordinate Adducts of Niobium(V) and Tantalum(V).

The mixed chloro-aryloxide compounds [M(OC(6)H(3)Pr(i)(2)-2,6)(2)Cl(3)](2) (M = Nb (1a), Ta (1b); both structurally characterized) and [M(OC(6)H(3)Pr(i)(2)-2,6)(3)Cl(2)] (M = Nb (2a), Ta (2b)) react with pyridine (py) and PMe(2)Ph to produce a series of adducts cis-mer-[MCl(3)(OC(6)H(3)Pr(i)(2)-2,6)(2)(L)] (M, L: Nb, py (3a); Ta, py (3b); Nb, PMe(2)Ph (4a); Ta, PMe(2)Ph (4b)) and trans-mer-[MCl(2)(OC(6)H(3)Pr(i)(2)-2,6)(3)(L)] (M, L: Nb, py (5); Nb, PMe(2)Ph (6a); Ta, PMe(2)Ph (6b)). The assigned geometric arrangement of ligands is based upon (1)H NMR studies and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses of 3a, 3b, 4, 6a, and 6b. The salt complex [HPMe(2)Ph](+)[mer-NbCl(3)(OC(6)H(3)Pr(i)(2)-2,6)(3)](-) (7) has also been isolated and structurally characterized.