Dichloridobis{N-[(dimethylamino)dimethylsilyl]-2,6-dimethylanilido-κ2N,N′}zirconium(IV)

Abstract

The monomeric title zirconium(IV) compound, [Zr(C12H21N2Si)2Cl2], was prepared by the metathetical reaction of [LiN(SiMe2NMe2)(2,6-Me2C6H3)]2 with zirconium tetra­chloride. The ZrIV atom is N,N′-chelated by the N-silylated anilido ligand. Along with two Cl atoms, the six-coordinated ZrIV atom demonstrates a highly distorted octa­hedral geometry. The two ligands around the ZrIV atom are arranged cis to each other and obey the C 2 symmetry operation. That means the asymmetric unit consists of only half of the mol­ecular compound and the complete mol­ecule is generated by a twofold axis. The two ends of the N—Si—N chelating unit exhibit different affinities for the metal center. The Zr—Namino bond is longer than the Zr—Nanilido bond.