Ln( iii ) methyl and methylidene complexes stabilized by a bulky hydrotris(pyrazolyl)borate ligand

The reaction of Ln(AlMe(4))(3) with bulky hydrotris(pyrazolyl)borate (Tp(t)(Bu,Me))H proceeds via a sequence of methane elimination and C-H bond activation, affording unprecedented rare-earth metal ligand moieties including Ln(Me)[(micro-Me)AlMe(3)] and X-ray structurally characterized "Tebbe-like" Ln[(micro-CH(2))(2)AlMe(2)].