Reaction of [(tmeda)NiMe2] with 2-pyridylmethylamine and (2-pyridylmethyl)(diphenylphosphanyl)amine

2-Aminomethylpyridine (Amp) substitutes the bis(dimethylamino)ethane ligand (TMEDA) of [(tmeda)NiMe2] leading to the formation of N,N′-(2-aminomethylpyridine)dimethylnickel (1). The reaction of bulkier N-diphenylphosphanyl-2-aminomethylpyridine with [(tmeda)NiMe2] yields tetrakis(N-diphenylphosphanyl-2-aminomethylpyridine)nickel(0) (2), ethane and TMEDA. The nickel(II) complex 1 shows a distorted square planar environment for the metal center, whereas nickel(0) in 2 displays a distorted tetrahedral coordination sphere with an average Ni–P bond length of 217.35 pm.