Stereoelectronic influence of the type of bifunctional ansa-monocyclopentadienyldimethylsilylamido ligand on the molecular structures displayed by zirconium dichloride and 1,4-diphenylbutadiene complexes.

A series of organozirconium dichloride and 1,4-diphenylbutadiene complexes featuring a dianionic bifunctional ligand with a cyclopentadienyl-type functionality and an appended amido N donor have been prepared and structurally characterized. [(C(5)H(4))SiMe(2)(N-t-Bu)]ZrCl(2), 1, [(C(9)H(6))SiMe(2)(N-t-Bu)]ZrCl(2), 2, and [(C(5)Me(4))SiMe(2)(N-i-Pr)]ZrCl(2), 3, were prepared in two steps, with ligand chelation accomplished by an amine elimination reaction followed by treatment of the diamido Zr intermediate with an excess of SiMe(3)Cl. X-ray structural analyses reveal that in the solid state 2 is monomeric, whereas 1 and 3 are centrosymmetric dimers linked by a pair of bridging chlorides.