Substitution on a methyl group of an acetylacetonate ligand: Synthesis and structural characterization of oxobis[6-(phenylamino)hexane-2,4-dionato-O,O']vanadium(IV), VO(Phad)(2)

From a melt reaction of VO(acac)(2) and N,N'-diphenylformamidine, HDPhF, the title compound is isolated in high yield along with aniline; the new ligand found in 1 arises from the cleavage of a C-N bond in the HDPhF molecule and the substitution of two hydrogen atoms from a methyl group of an acac ligand.