Simple Access to the Heaviest Alkaline Earth Metal Hydride: A Strongly Reducing Hydrocarbon-Soluble Barium Hydride Cluster.

Reaction of Ba[N(SiMe₃)₂]₂ with PhSiH₃ in toluene gave simple access to the unique Ba hydride cluster Ba₇H₇[N(SiMe₃)₂]₇ that can be described as a square pyramid spanned by five Ba²⁺ ions with two flanking BaH[N(SiMe₃)₂] units. This heptanuclear cluster is well soluble in aromatic solvents, and the hydride ¹H NMR signals and coupling pattern suggests that the structure is stable in solution. At 95 °C, no coalescence of hydride signals is observed but the cluster slowly decomposes to undefined barium hydride species. The complex Ba₇H₇[N(SiMe₃)₂]₇ is a very strong reducing agent that already at room temperature reacts with Me₃SiCH=CH₂, norbornadiene, and ethylene. The highly reactive alkyl barium intermediates cannot be observed and deprotonate the (Me₃Si)₂N⁻ ion, as confirmed by the crystal structure of Ba₁₄H₁₂[N(SiMe₃)₂]₁₂[(Me₃Si)(Me₂SiCH₂)N]₄. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]