Acid-Base Interaction between Transition-Metal Hydrides: Dihydrogen Bonding and Dihydrogen Evolution

Reaction of the acidic tungsten(II) hydride 2 with the nickel(II) pincer complex 1 in either THF or toluene after an initial dihydrogen bonding (DHB) interaction led to the formation of the Ni-W bimetallic species 3 (see picture). The first example of DHB between two metal hydrides with opposite polarity was analyzed by NMR and IR spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, and DFT calculations.