A stable neutral stannaaromatic compound: synthesis, structure and complexation of a kinetically stabilized 2-stannanaphthalene.

A kinetically stabilized 2-stannanaphthalene, the first example of a stable, neutral aromatic compound containing a tin atom, has been synthesized and fully characterized. The results of spectroscopic and crystallographic structural analyses of the compound and theoretical calculations using model compounds strongly suggest that it has a delocalized 10pi-electron ring system as does naphthalene. In addition, it was found to behave as an eta6-arene ligand in the ligand exchange reaction with [Cr(CH3CN)3(CO)3] giving the first stable eta6-2-stannanaphthalene chromium complex.