Structure and Lewis-base reactivity of bicyclic low-valent germanium and tin complexes bridged by bis(diisopropylphosphino)amine

The bicyclic compounds {MN[P(i-Pr)2]2}2 (M = Sn, Ge) contain Sn22+ or Ge22+ units bridged by phosphorus. With B(C6F5)3, the Lewis basic Sn22+ complex participates in THF ring-opening or para-F atom activation. These complexes, as well as Cl2Sn{N[P(i-Pr)2]2}2 and {ClSnN[P(i-Pr)2]2}2 were characterized by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray diffraction.66