Novel Stannatrane N(CH2CMe2O)2(CMe2CH2O)SnO-t-Bu and Related Oligonuclear Tin(IV) Oxoclusters. Two Isomers in One Crystal.

The syntheses of the alkanolamine N(CH2CMe2OH)2(CMe2CH2OH) (1), of the stannatrane N(CH2CMe2O)2(CMe2CH2O)SnO-t-Bu (2), and of the trinuclear tin oxocluster 3 consisting of the two isomers [(μ3-O)(O-t-Bu){Sn(OCH2CMe2)(OCMe2CH2)2N}3] (3a) and [(μ3-O)(μ3-O-t-Bu){Sn(OCH2CMe2)(OCMe2CH2)2N}3] (3b) as well as the isolation of a few crystals of the hexanuclear tin oxocluster [LSnOSn(OH)3LSnOH]2 [L = N(CH2CMe2O)2(CMe2CH2O)] (4) are reported. The compounds were characterized by 1H, 13C, 15N, and 119Sn (1-3) nuclear magnetic resonance and infrared spectroscopy, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis (1-4). A graph set analysis was performed for compound 1. The relative energies of 3a and 3b were estimated by density functional theory calculations that show that the energy differences are small.