Reaction of neodymium trichloride and sodium N,N-dimethylaminodiboranate, Na[(BH3)2NMe2] or Na(dmadb), to produce the volatile complex Nd(dmadb)3 was investigated via 11B NMR spectroscopy. To prepare Ln(dmadb)3, LnCl3 and three equivalents of Na(dmadb) are combined and stirred in thf then extracted with pentane to yield the final product. In typical salt elimination reactions which are driven by the insolubility of byproduct salts, the second step only serves to isolate the product from the mixture. However, only the singly-substituted intermediate Nd(dmadb)Cl2(thf)3 is observed in the original thf reaction mixture. The investigation shows that the formation of NaCl byproduct does not drive the reaction to completion, instead the final product Nd(dmadb)3 is formed only after thf is removed. Remarkably, isolated samples of Nd(dmadb)3 react with NaCl in thf to generate Nd(dmadb)Cl3(thf)3 and related compounds.

Salt elimination reactions don't always eliminate: Mechanistic study of the reaction of NdCl<sub>3</sub> with sodium N,N-dimethylaminodiboranate

246th National Meeting (2013)

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Salt elimination reactions don't always eliminate: Mechanistic study of the reaction of NdCl3 with sodium N,N-dimethylaminodiboranate

Salt elimination reactions don't always eliminate: Mechanistic study of the reaction of NdCl₃ with sodium N,N-dimethylaminodiboranate