The Synthesis, Molecular Structures, and Supramolecular Architecture of Amine Adducts of Bis(pentafluorophenyl)zinc

A series of eight adducts of the form (RR‘R‘ ‘N)2·Zn(C6F5)2 have been prepared through treatment of
the Lewis acid Zn(C6F5)2 with 2 equiv of the corresponding amine (R = tBu or CH2Ph, R‘ = R‘ ‘ = H;
R = R‘ = Me or CH2Ph, R‘ ‘ = H; R = Me, R‘ = CH2Ph, R‘ ‘ = H; RR‘ = cyclo-C4H8 or cyclo-C5H10,
R‘ ‘ = H; R = R‘ = Me, R‘ ‘ = CH2Ph). The solid-state structures of all eight compounds have been
elucidated by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. In each case the geometry about the zinc atom is essentially
tetrahedral. However, there is considerable variation in the supramolecular architectures in the solid state.
A number of types of noncovalent interactions are observed including phenyl−pentafluorophenyl stacking,
X−H···F−C contacts, and offset face-to-face contacts between pentafluorophenyl rings, giving rise to
one-, two-, and three-dimensional supramolecular structures. In our examples we find that no one
intermolecular interaction predominates.