Imides Iminolithiums and Their Complexes Ring Stacking

Lithium Imides (Iminolithiums) and Their Complexes Ring Stacking 

Lithium imides [(RR C=NLi) ] have until recently been used without prior isolation. Such use has been as reagents in the syntheses of iminoderivatives of many other metals and metalloids (M) via reactions with M—X bonds [X = halide, in particular see Eq. (3)] e.g., of main group metals and metalloids Be (54), B (55,56), A1 (57,58), Si (59), and P (60), and of transition metals Mo, W (61), and Fe (62). Addition of organolithiums to nitriles [Eq. (4)] and the lithiation of imines, commonly by Bu Li [Eq. (5)], are the most common preparative routes to lithium imides. 

Examples include imines with R = R = Bu, Ph, and p-MeCeH4 (65). For an imine in which R + R, e.g., Ph(BuOC=NH, successful syntheses have employed either PhC=N + Bu MgBr (65) or Bu C=N + PhMgBr (61) additions, for example. 

Molecular structure of the iminolithium hexamer [Ph(Me2N)C=NLi 6 (4), highlighting the Li6 core. 

Hexamer Range of N—Li distances A Range of N— -Li distances in each trimer Range of N—Li distances between trimers  

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