Isolation and Structural Characterization of <i>Geminal</i> Di(iodozincio)methane Complexes Stabilized with Nitrogen Ligands

Treatment of gem-di­(iodozincio)­methane with pyridine or diamine derivatives resulted in the isolation of a storable gem-di­(iodozincio)­methane species. Use of the sterically bulky bipyridine ligand gave a gem-di­(iodozincio)­methane complex, which allowed the first X-ray structural analysis of such species. This work represents a rare example of the isolation of an organometallic reactive species in Schlenk equilibrium and thus provides new insight into the design of efficient and storable organometallic reagents. The isolated gem-di­(iodozincio)­methane complexes serve as effective methylene dianion synthons for olefination of carbonyl compounds.