In coordination chemistry of metal ions and Lewis acids, N-acylamidines and their anions are valuable nitrogen and
oxygen-containing monodentate or bidentate ligands.

The synthesis of 33 novel primary and secondary N-acylamidines with varying substitution patterns incorporating aliphatic and aromatic groups, is reported by Ernst-Ulrich Würthwein, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Münster, Germany, and colleagues. The products exhibit versatile aggregation behavior and form a number of structures including dimers, tetramers, and higher aggregates, which were studied by theoretical, spectroscopic, crystallographic, and STM methods.

The coordination chemistry of the N-acylamidines and catalytic properties of the resulting complexes are being investigated.

• Synthesis, Structures, and Aggregation Properties of N-Acylamidines,
  Christof Wigbers, Jörg Prigge, Zhongchen Mu, Roland Fröhlich, Lifeng Chi, Ernst-Ulrich Würthwein,
  Europ. J. Org. Chem. 2011.
  DOI: 10.1002/ejoc.201001155