Strontium compounds metal amides

The metalation of trialkylsilylphosphane and -arsane with the alkaline earth metal bis[bis(trimethylsilyl)amides] of calcium, strontium, and barium yields the mixed phosphanides and phosphanediides as well as arsanides and arsanediides depending on the stoichiometry and the demand of the trialkylsily] substituents according to Scheme 3.6-11. The main feature is the M2E3 bipyramid with the metal atoms in apical positions. These cages are often interconnected via common faces (61, 63, 64, 65, 67, and 69). A substitution of the phosphanide substituents by other Lewis bases such as THF or benzonitrile is not possible for these compounds and, consequently, homoleptic phosphanediides and arsanediides with inner M4E4 heterocubane moieties are so far unknown for M = Ca, Sr, and Ba. In all these cases a further metalation to obtain homoleptic phosphanediides failed. 

Prior to the previous edition of this book, no examples of substituted strontium amides had been well characterized. Even now, only a few strontium amide crystal structures are known and have been briefly reviewed in the context of more general aspects of the chemistry of group 2 metal compounds. ... 

A comparison of these compounds with the corresponding zinc derivatives should clarify the influence of the empty d orbitals involved in the bonding situation of the alkaline earth metal bis(phosphanides). Whereas zinc bis[bis(trimethylsilyl)amide] is monomeric due to the steric demand of the bulky amide ligand [6], the trimethylsilyl substituted phosphanide leads to oligomers such as dimers or trimers [7], The influence of the pnicogen atom is small, thus the phosphorus and arsenic derivatives (Fig. 5.) look very similar [8] or even crystallize isotypically. In contrast to the d metals calcium, strontium and barium, zinc derivatives solely build up monocyclic ring systems. 

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