Zinc complex as a source of highly labile non-shielded o-iminoquinone

Noval unstable o-iminobenzoquinone, namely, 3,4-dibenzhydryl-6-[(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imino]cyclohex-2-en-1-one, bearing non-shielded chelating site was synthesized in the zinc coordination sphere as a neutral ligand. The bis-o-iminosemiquinonate N^II compound was prepared by the reaction of zinc o-iminoquinolate complex with Ni(CO)₄ and characterized by NMR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis.