Monomeric and Octameric Divalent Ytterbium Complexes of Diphenylmethyl Dipyrrolyl Dianion

Dipyrrolide dianion [Ph 2 C(C 4 H 3 N) 2 ] 2 - readily reacts with YbCl 3 (THF) 3 to form a trivalent precursor, which was further reduced by using either lithium or sodium. The result of the reaction was determined by the nature of the alkali metal since octameric anionic clusters and neutral monomeric complexes were isolated in the two cases.