Synthesis and Structural Characterization of Bis(2-oxoimidazolyl)hydroborato Complexes: A New Class of Bidentate Oxygen-Donor Ligands

A new
class of bidentate ligands that feature oxygen donors, namely, the
bis­(2-oxo-1-tert-butylimidazolyl)­hydroborato and
bis­(2-oxo-1-methyl­benz­imid­azolyl)­hydroborato ligands,
[BoBut] and [BoMeBenz], have been
synthesized via the reactions of MBH4 with 2 equiv of the
respective 2-imidazolone. Chelation of [BoBut] and [BoMeBenz] to a metal center results in a flexible
eight-membered ring that is capable of adopting a “boatlike”
conformation that allows for secondary M···H–B
interactions.