Synthesis and Structural Characterisation of an Isomorphous Series of Bis(imidazolin‐2‐imine) Metal Dichlorides Containing the First Row Transition Metals Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu and Zn

The bis(imidazolin‐2‐imine) ligand N , N′ ‐bis(1,3‐diisopropyl‐4,5‐dimethylimidazolin‐2‐ylidene)‐1,2‐ethanediamine (BL i Pr ) was used to synthesize a complete series of transition metal dichloride complexes of the type [(BL i Pr ) M Cl 2 ] with M = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn. The molecular structure of each complex was established by X‐ray diffraction analysis; the complexes are isomorphous and crystallize in the monoclinic space group C 2/ c , which allows comparison of their structural parameters in a constant packing environment. The complexes exhibit distorted tetrahedral coordination around the metal atoms with the dihedral angles between the M N 2 and M Cl 2 planes ranging from 53.9° ( M = Cu) to 75.5° ( M = Zn).