A simple approach to coordination compounds of the pentacyanocyclopentadienide anion.

Deprotonation of [Et(3)NH][C(5)(CN)(5)] with metal bases provides a very simple approach to coordination compounds containing the pentacyanocyclopentadienide anion [C(5)(CN)(5)](-) (1). The three-dimensional polymer [Na(thf)(1.5)(1)](∞) and the molecular dimer [{(tmeda)(2)Na(1)}(2)] are obtained by reaction of this precursor with NaH in the presence of thf or tmeda (Me(2)NCH(2)CH(2)NMe(2)). Their single-crystal X-ray structures both reveal σ-bonded C≡N-Na arrangements and π stacking between [C(5)(CN)(5)](-) ions. DFT calculations on the [C(5)(CN)(5)](-) ion have been used to investigate the structures and bonding in [Na(thf)(1.5)(1)](∞) and [{(tmeda)(2)Na(1)}(2)]. The absence of π bonding of the metal ions in both complexes is due to dispersion of the negative charge from the C(5) ring unit to the C[triple chemical bond]N groups in the [C(5)(CN)(5)](-) ion, making the coordination chemistry of this anion distinctly different from that of cyclopentadienide C(5)H(5)(-).