Copper(I) Clusters with Trifunctional Silyl Amide Ligands. Synthesis and Crystal Structures of [Li(THF)4]2[Cu10{RSi(NPh)3}4] (R = Me, Ph, Vin)

Abstract

AbstractTreatment of CuCl with the lithiated silyl amides RSi(NLiPh)3 (R = Me, Ph, Vin) in THF as solvent led to the formation of the novel CuI cluster compounds [Li(THF)4]2[Cu10{RSi(NPh)3}4]. For each of the three compounds the X‐ray crystal structure analysis revealed similar Si4N12Cu10 cores which are based on cubane like Cu8 cores bearing two additional peripheral copper atoms. The copper atoms are coordinated nearly linearly by the μ5‐bridging silyl amide ligands with Cu–N distances in the range of 187.1(3) to 194.5(4) pm and N–Cu–N angles of 171.6(1) to 178.7(1)°. For each of the compounds the structural parameters are very similar which indicates that the structures are barely influenced by the different steric requirements of the organic groups bound to silicon.