The Crystal and Molecular Structure of the Dihydrochloride of 2-trans-6-Diethyl-2,4,4,6,8,8-hexamethylcyclotetraphosphazene
Octamethylcyclotetraphosphazene is deprotonated by methyllithium to form carbanions, which react with methyl iodide to give ethyl derivatives N4P4Me8−nEtn, [Formula: see text] the structure of the dihydrochloride of the diethyl derivative, N4P4Me6Et2•2HCl has been determined. Its crystals are monoclinic, a = 9.928(5), b = 15.482(6), c = 6.329(2) Å, β = 103.29(2)°, space group P21/n. The structure was determined from diffractometer X-ray data and refined by full-matrix least squares methods to R 0.079 for 715 observed reflections. The N4P4Me6Et2H22+ ion lies on a crystallographic center of symmetry and the eight-membered phosphazene ring has the "chair" conformation. There are two significantly different P—N bond lengths, 1.665(6) and 1.572(7) Å, and two significantly different P—N—P angles, 126.7(6) and 139.8(6)°. The mean P—C bond length is 1.801(7) Å, and the mean N—P—N and C—P—C angles are 112.2(4) and 107.6° respectively. Bond lengths and angles in the phosphazene ring show the characteristic effects of π-electron localization found in other protonated phosphazene derivatives. The two ethyl groups are in tran-antipodal positions, corresponding to the least intramolecular electrostatic repulsion in the carbanion.