A new β-diketimine bearing the pendant pyridyl group, CH3C(2,6-(iPr)2C6H3NH)CHC(CH3)(NCH2–C5NH4) (L1), was synthesized. The reaction of L1 with one equivalent of Sc(CH2SiMe3)3(THF)2 at room temperature gave a singly deprotonated product (L1−H)Sc(CH2SiMe3)2 (1). Y(CH2SiMe3)3(THF)2 under the same conditions led to the unexpected dimer [(L1−H3)Y(THF)]2 (2), in which the ligand precursor L1 was triply deprotonated. The reaction of L1 with Y(CH2SiMe3)3(THF)2 at −35 °C provided a mixture of singly deprotonated product (L1−H)Y(CH2SiMe3)2 (3) and doubly deprotonated product (L1−H2)Y(CH2SiMe3)(THF)2 (4). The reactions of L1 with Ln[N(SiMe3)2]3 gave only singly deprotonated products (L1−H)Ln[N(SiMe3)2]2 (5: Ln = Y; 6: Ln = La). The complexes 1, 2 and 4–6 have been characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction.
