Several preparative procedures for the synthesis of the THF complexes of the alkaline earth metal bis( phenylamides) of Mg ( 1), Ca ( 2), Sr ( 3), and Ba ( 4) are presented such as metalation of aniline with strontium and barium, metathesis reactions of MI2 with KN( H) Ph, and metalation of aniline with arylcalcium compounds or dialkylmagnesium. The THF content of these compounds is rather low and an increasing aggregation is observed with the size of the metal atom. Thus, tetrameric [( THF) Ca-2 {mu- N( H) Ph} (2)] (4) ( 2) and polymeric [( THF) 2Sr {mu- N( H) Ph} 2] and {[( THF) 2Ba{ A- N( H) Ph} 2] 2[( THF) Ba {mu- N( H) Ph} (2)] (2)} show six- coordinate metal atoms with increasing interactions to the d systems of the phenyl groups with increasing the radius of the alkaline earth metal atom.