Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

The paramagnetic 1:1 coordination complexes of (C5Me5)2Yb with a series of diazabutadiene ligands, RN=C(R')C(R')=NR, where R= CMe3, CHMe2, adamantyl, p-tolyl, p-anisyl, and mesityl when R'=H, and R= p-anisyl when R'= Me, have been prepared. The complexes are paramagnetic, but their magnetic moments are less than expected for the two uncoupled spin carriers, (C5Me5)2Yb(III, 4f13) and the diazabutadiene radical anions (S=1/2), which implies exchange coupling between the spins. The variable temperature 1H NMR spectra show that rotation about the R-N bond is hindered and these barriers are estimated. The barriers are largely determined by steric effects but electronic effects are not unimportant.