Synthetic and structural studies of the cyclopentadienyl-free yttrium alkyl alkoxide and aryloxide complexes [(Me(3)Si)(2)CH]Y-2(mu-OCMe(3))(2)Li(THF) and [Me(3)SiCH(2)]Y-2(OC(6)H(3)(t)Bu(2)-2,6)(THF)(2)

YCl3 reacts with 2 equiv of LiCH(SiMe(3))(2) and 2 equiv of LiOCMe(3) in THF to form the dialkyl dialkoxide complex [(Me(3)Si)(2)CH]Y-2(mu-OCMe(3))(2)Li(THF), 1. The yttrium in 1 is surrounded by a distorted tetrahedral arrangement of two terminal alkyl groups and two bridging alkoxide groups, and the coordination around lithium is trigonal planar. The reaction of YCl3 with 2 equiv of LiCH(2)SiMe(3) and 1 equiv of LiOC(6)H(3)(t)Bu(2)-2,6 in THF forms the neutral dialkyl aryloxide complex (Me(3)SiCH(2))(2)Y(OC(6)H(3)(t)Bu2-2,6)(THF)(2), 2. The coordination geometry around yttrium in 2 is a distorted trigonal bipyramid with the THF groups in the apical positions.