The reactions of the bulky amino-bis(phenol) ligand Me(2)NCH(2)CH(2)N[CH(2)-3,5-Bu(t)(2)-C(6)H(2)OH-2](2)(1-H(2)) with Zn[N(SiMe(3))(2)](2)(4), [Mg[N(SiMe(3))(2)](2)](2)(5) and Ca[N(SiMe(3))(2)](2)(THF)(2)(6) yield the complexes 1-Zn, 1-Mg and 1-Ca in good yields. The X-ray structure of 1-Ca showed the complex to be dimeric, with calcium in a distorted octahedral coordination geometry. Five of the positions are occupied by an N(2)O(3) donor set, while the sixth is taken up by an intramolecular close contact to an o-Bu(t) substituent, a rare case of a Ca...H-C agostic interaction (Ca...H distances of 2.37 and 2.41 Angstroms). Another sterically hindered calcium complex, Ca[2-Bu(t)-6-(C(6)F(5)N=CH)C(6)H(3)O](2)(THF)(2).(C(7)H(8))(2/3)(7), was prepared by reaction of 6 with the iminophenol 2-Bu(t)-6-(C(6)F(5)N=CH)C(6)H(3)OH (3-H). According to the crystal structure 7 is monomeric and octahedral, with trans THF ligands. The complex Ti[N[CH(2)-3-Bu(t)-5-Me-C(6)H(2)O-2](2)[CH(2)CH(2)NMe(2)]](OPr(i))(2)(2-Ti) was prepared by treatment of Ti(OPr(i)(4)) with the new amino-bis(phenol) Me(2)NCH(2)CH(2)N[CH(2)-3-Bu(t)-5-Me-C(6)H(2)OH-2](2)(2-H(2)). The reduction of 2-Ti with sodium amalgam gave the titanium(III) salt Ti[N[CH(2)-3-Bu(t)-5-Me-C(6)H(2)O-2](2)[CH(2)CH(2)NMe(2)]](OPr(i))(2).Na(THF)(2)(8). A comparison of the X-ray structures of 2-Ti and 8 showed that the additional electron in 8 significantly reduced the intensity of the pi-bonding from the oxygen atoms of the isopropoxide groups to titanium. 1-Ca and 8 were active initiators for the ring-opening polymerisation of epsilon-caprolactone (up to 97% conversion of 200 equivalents in 2 hours) and yielded polymers with narrow molecular weight distributions.

The synthesis of axially chiral ligands 1-(3',6'-di-t-butyl-2'-hydroxy-1'-naphthyl)-3-R-isoquinoline (R = H, Pr(i), Bu(t)) (LR-H) is described. Ligands with unsubstituted isoquinolinyl rings tend to give 1:2 metal complexes. The syntheses and crystal structures of Li2(LH)2(THF)2 (9), (LH)2Ti(OPr(i))2 (12), Zn(LH)2 (13) and [Mg(LH)2]2 (14) are reported. Complex formation is highly stereoselective; the ligands in 1:2 complexes have the same stereochemistry (i.e. R,R and S,S but not R,S), whereas in the binuclear magnesium compound 14 the bridging and non-bridging ligands LH have opposite stereochemistry. The reaction of LH-H with Pd(acac)2 afforded the N,O chelate Pd(acac)(LH) (10), whereas towards K2PtCl4 the same ligand acts as an N-donor only, to give trans-PtCl2(LH-H)2 (11) in which the OH groups are hydrogen-bonded to one of the two chloride ligands. The more bulky ligand with a t-butyl substituent in the 3-position of the isoquinolinyl ring reacts with zinc and magnesium bis(amides) to give the mixed-ligand species (LBu)ZnN(SiMe3)2 and (LBu)MgN(SiMe3)2, respectively, which catalyse the ring-opening polymerisation of epsilon-caprolactone (CL) and rac-lactide (LA).

The molecule of the title compound, C(31)H(30)N(2), contains a single intramolecular hydrogen bond, in contrast with the related N-methyl compound which exists as hydrogen-bonded dimers in the solid state [Cortright, Huffman, Yoder, Coalter & Johnston (2004). Organometallics, 23, 2238-2250]. Application of the density functional theory programs CASTEP and DMol(3) allows accurate assignment of the location of the H atoms in the structure.

The title zinc(II) complexes, [Zn(C(34)H(54)N(2)O(2))], (II), and [Zn(C(28)H(42)N(2)O(2))(C(4)H(8)O)], (III), were obtained as monomeric 1:1 complexes, in contrast with the calcium complexes supported by the same ligand class. Complex (II) crystallizes with two independent molecules in the asymmetric unit, which have similar geometric parameters. The donor atoms in (II) form a distorted trigonal-pyramidal arrangement around the zinc centre. Complex (III) contains a coordinated tetrahydrofuran molecule, resulting in a five-coordinate trigonal-bipyramidal arrangement around the Zn atom. The electron density provided by the coordination of this tetrahydrofuran molecule elongates the Zn-O and Zn-N bonds by approximately 0.07 and 0.10 A, respectively, in comparison with (II). Neither (II) nor (III) is active as an epsilon-caprolactone polymerization catalyst. The data presented here demonstrate that Zn may bind both an ONNO ligand and an additional oxygen-based ligand. The lack of activity is thus not due to steric hinderance at the metal atom.