A Half-Sandwich Perfluoroorganoytterbium(II) Complex from a Simple Redox Transmetalation/Ligand Exchange Synthesis

Reaction of ytterbium metal with HgPh(C 6 F 5 ) and HC 5 Me 5 in THF (THF = tetrahydrofuran) affords seven-coordinate, monomeric [Yb(C 5 Me 5 )(C 6 F 5 )(THF) 3 ] ( 1 ), which is presumed to be formed by protolysis of a transitory “YbPh(C 6 F 5 )” species with HC 5 Me 5 . In the absence of the latter, reaction of ytterbium metal and HgPh(C 6 F 5 ) gave a mixture of products, including the structurally characterized [Yb(C 6 F 5 ) 2 (THF) 4 ] ( 2 ) and the ytterbium(III) complex [YbPh 3 (THF) 3 ] ( 3 ).