Structural elucidation of homometallic anthracenolates synthesised via deprotonative metallation of anthrone.

Five novel neutral homometallic complexes which contain the anthracen-9-olate anion have been prepared and characterised by treating anthrone with an organometallic base to induce aromatisation. Three of these complexes [(donor)·M(OC(14)H(9))](2) (2-4) are dimeric and contain sodium, lithium and potassium respectively. For 2 and 3 the donor is N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA) whilst for 4 it is N,N,N',N'',N''-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine (PMDETA).

Structural variations in bimetallic sodium-magnesium and sodium-zinc ketimides, and a sodium-zinc alkide-alkoxide-amide: connections to ring-stacking, ring-laddering, and inverse crown concepts.

The first sodium-magnesium and sodium-zinc ketimido complexes display contrasting inverse crown ring and pseudo-cubane structures respectively, while a sodium-zinc heterotrianionic alkide-alkoxide-amide adopts a third type of structure with a stepped ladder motif.

Dizincation and dimagnesiation of benzene using alkali-metal-mediated metallation.

Benzene can be easily 1,4-dideprotonated stoichiometrically on reaction with two equivalents of a synergic mixture of tBu2Zn, NaTMP and TMEDA to give a unique 1,4-dizincated benzene product which has been characterised by X-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy as well as modelled theoretically by DFT computational studies; a related synergic dimagnesiation of benzene is also reported.