Paramagnetic 7Li NMR Shifts and Magnetic Properties of Divalent Transition Metal Silylamide Ate Complexes [LiM{N(SiMe3)2}3] (M2+ = Mn, Fe, Co)

Li-7 NMR shifts and magnetic properties have been determined for three so-called ate complexes [LiM{N(SiMe3)(2)}(3)] (M2+ = Mn, Fe, Co; e.g., named lithium-tris(bis(trimethylsilylamide))-manganate(II) in accordance with a formally negative charge assigned to the complex fragment [M{N(SiMe3)(2)}(3)](-), which comprises the transition metal). They are formed by addition reactions of LiN(SiMe3)(2) and [M{N(SiMe3)(2)}(2)] and stabilized by Lewis base/Lewis acid interactions. The results are compared to those of the related "ion-separated" complexes [Li(15-crown-5)][M{N(SiMe3)(2)}(3)]. The ate complexes with the lithium atoms connected to the 3d metal atoms manganese, iron, or cobalt via mu(2) nitrogen bridges reveal strong Li-7 NMR paramagnetic shifts of about -75, 125, and 171 ppm, respectively, whereas the shifts for the lithium ions coordinated by the 15-crown-5 ether are close to zero. The observed trends of the Li-7 NMR shifts are confirmed by density-functional theory calculations. The magnetic dc and ac properties display distinct differences for the six compounds under investigation. Both manganese compounds, [LiMn{N(SiMe3)(2)}(3)] and [Li(15-crown-5)][Mn{N(SiMe3)(2)}(3)], display almost pure and ideal spin-only paramagnetic behavior of a 3d(5) high-spin complex. In this respect slightly unexpected, both complexes show slow relaxation behavior at low temperatures under applied dc fields, which is especially pronounced for the ate complex [LiMn{N(SiMe3)(2)}(3)]. Dc magnetic properties of the iron complexes reveal moderate g-factor anisotropies with small values of the axial magnetic anisotropy parameter D and a larger E (transversal anisotropy). Both complexes display at low temperatures and, under external dc fields of up to 5000 Oe, only weak ac signals with no maxima in the frequency range from 1 to 1500 s(-1). In contrast, the two cobalt complexes display strong g-factor anisotropies with large values of D and E. In addition, in both cases, the ac measurements at low temperatures and applied dc fields reveal two, in terms of their frequency range, well separated relaxation processes with maxima lying for the most part outside of the measurement range between 1 and 1500 s(-1).