A Kinetic Study of the Silyl Substitution in Tantalum Amide Silyl Complex (Me2N)3Ta[Si(SiMe3)3]2

Kinetic studies have been performed for the substitution of the first silyl ligand in (Me2N)3Ta[Si(SiMe 3 ) 3 ] 2 (1) by Li(THF) 3 SiBu t h 2 at 233 K (THF = tetrahydrofuran). In the presence of excess Li(THF) 3 SiBu t Ph 2 , these studies reveal that the reaction likely follows a dissociative pathway. THF, a polar solvent, is found to promote the substitution, and the order of the reaction with respect to THF is 1.7(0.3).