Amido‐Imidazolin‐2‐imine Zinc Complexes: Facile Preparation by Mild In Situ Deprotonation

A representative member of the amino‐imidazolin‐2‐imine ligand class (HAmIm) is studied as a strong monoanionic N , N ′‐chelating ligand in zinc(I) and zinc(II) complexes. The Brønsted‐basic zinc precursors ZnH 2 , ZnEt 2 , and [Zn 2 ( η 5 ‐C 5 Me 5 ) 2 ] undergo in situ deprotonation with HAmIm, accompanied by the formation of only volatile side products (H 2 , C 2 H 6 , C 5 Me 5 H). Under these mild conditions, both Zn(II) complexes [(AmIm)ZnH] 2 and [(AmIm)ZnEt], as well as the more sensitive Zn(I) complexes [( η 5 ‐C 5 Me 5 )Zn 2 (AmIm)] and [Zn 2 (AmIm) 2 ] with a covalent ZnZn bond, are obtained in high purity. In comparison to related β‐diketimine ligands (HNacNac), the amino‐imidazolin‐2‐imine (HAmIm) proves to be more controllable in its reactivity toward zinc precursors.