The reaction of the bis(6,6-dimethylcyclohexadienyl)zirconium fragment with PhC2SiMe3 - A 5Â +Â 2Â +Â 2 ring construction

The reaction of the edge-bridged open zirconocene, Zr(6,6-dmch)2(PMe3)2 (dmch = dimethylcyclohexadienyl) with two equivalents of PhC2SiMe3 leads to a 5 + 2 + 2 ring construction, resulting in a 4.3.1 bicyclodecadienyl skeleton. The resulting complex, with η3-allyl, η4-diene, and η5-dienyl coordination, has a formal 16 electron configuration, and contains close contacts between the metal center and two lengthened C-C bonds, indicative of weak agostic interactions.