3774 Organometallics, Vol. 22, No. 18, 2003
Lewin´ski et al.
model system for the study of the role of hydrogen
bonding on the structure of Schiff base metal complexes.
Additionally, our choice of target complexes was dictated
by the fact that the organometallic chemistry of group
13 elements with bidentate salicylideneiminate ligands
remains relatively poorly explored (for example, the
structurally characterized four-coordinated aluminum
complexes of this type include only sterically encum-
bered ligands,10,11 while complexes incorporating boron
and gallium have been rare12-14), and these studies are
in the course of our recent investigations toward volatile
main-group organometallic compounds as precursors for
MOCVD.15,16
Our previous studies on the solid-state and solution
properties of various group 13 chelate complexes have
revealed that minor differences in the subunit structure
can have a profound effect on the association of metal
alkoxides (aryloxides).7b,17 We have delineated factors
which provide a better understanding of the structural
and bonding parameters for the metal alkyl derivatives
of saturated and unsaturated donor-functionalized hy-
droxy compounds (L-H) upon moving from monomeric
four-coordinate R2M(η2-L) to five-coordinate [R2M(µ,η2-
L)]2 complexes or from four-coordinate [R2M(µ,η1-L)]2 to
five-coordinate [R2M(µ,η2-L)]2 adducts.7c,18,19 Very re-
cently, we have also reported results aiding our under-
standing of relationships between intra- and inter-
molecular forces resulting from donor-acceptor and hy-
drogen-bonding interactions using group 13 alkoxides
and carboxylates as model complexes.7b,9 In a continu-
ation of our systematic studies, we report here on
structure investigations of the group 13 organometallic
chelate complexes (M ) Al, Ga, In) with salicylidene-
iminate anion as the O,N-bidentate ligand. The influ-
ence of weak hydrogen bonds on the supramolecular
structure of resulting complexes is also discussed.
Resu lts a n d Discu ssion
Syn th esis a n d Solu tion Str u ctu r e. The reaction
of Me3M with 1 equiv of N-phenylsalicylideneimine
(saldPh-H) in toluene solution allows for the isolation
of the chelate complexes Me2M(saldPh) (where M ) Al
(1), Ga (2), In (3)) almost quantitatively. Each compound
was isolated as a yellow crystalline solid following
evaporation to dryness of the reaction mixture and
subsequent recrystallization from hexane/CH2Cl2 solu-
tion at 0 °C. The resulting compounds have been
characterized in a solution by NMR and IR spectroscopy
and cryoscopic molecular weight measurements. In the
solid state, the molecular structures of 1-3 have been
determined by X-ray diffraction techniques. The molec-
ular weight measurements have revealed that the
aluminum and gallium compounds 1 and 2 occur as
monomeric species in solution. Interestingly, a freshly
prepared benzene solution of the crystalline 2 consists
of some higher aggregated species, as judged from the
cryoscopic determination, likely the hydrogen-bonded
associates (vide infra). Initially, the degree of association
varied in the range of 1.2-1.3 and after ca. 1/2 h reached
a value of 1.0, corresponding to monomeric species (see
Experimental Section). In contrast, the indium com-
pound 3 occurs as a dimer in benzene solution. The
27Al NMR spectrum of 1 consists of a single resonance
at 149 ppm corresponding to a four-coordinate alumi-
num center. It is worth noting that the intensity of the
resonance signal is relatively low and a problem with
the detection of resonance signals presumably results
from the quadrupole moment of aluminum and nitrogen
(this aspect will be discussed in more details elsewhere).
(9) Lewin´ski, J .; J ustyniak, I.; Lipkowski, J .; Zachara, J . Inorg.
Chem. Commun. 2000, 3, 700-703.
(10) Cameron, P. A.; Gibson, V. C.; Redshaw, C.; Segal, J . A.; Solan,
G. A.; White, A. J . P.; Williams, D. J . J . Chem. Soc., Dalton Trans.
2001, 1472-1476.
(11) Hill, M. S.; Hutchison, A. R.; Keizer, T. S.; Parkin, S.; Van-
Aelstyn, M. A.; Atwood, D. A. J . Organomet. Chem. 2001, 628, 71-75.
(12) Mun˜oz-Hernandez, M. A.; Keizer, T. S.; Parkin, S.; Patrick, B.;
Atwood, D. A. Organometallics 2000, 19, 4416-4421.
(13) Shen, Y.-Z.; Gu, H.; Pan, Y.; Dong, G.; Wu, T.; J in, X.-P.; Huang,
X.-Y.; Hu, H. J . Organomet. Chem. 2000, 605, 234-238.
(14) (a) Allmann, R.; Hohaus, E.; Olejnik, S. Z. Naturforsch., B 1982,
37, 1450. (b) Hopfl, H.; Farfan, N. Can. J . Chem. 1998, 76, 1853. (c)
Kompan, O. E.; Furmanova, N. G.; Struchkov, Y. T.; Sitkina, L. M.;
Bren, V. A.; Minkin, V. I. Zh. Strukt. Khim. 1980, 21, 90. (d) Atwood,
D. A.; J egier, J . A.; Remington, M. P.; Rutherford, D. Aust. J . Chem.
1996, 49, 1333.
1
The H NMR spectra of 1-3 show no complexity, and
single resonances of the M-Me protons as well as the
NdCH proton and multiplets of aromatic protons are
observed. Thus, the above data are consistent with the
monomeric tetrahedral chelate structure I for the
aluminum and gallium derivatives and dimeric struc-
ture II for the indium complex.
(15) Starowieyski, K. B.; Chwojnowski, A.; J ankowski, K.; Lewin´ski,
J .; Zachara, J . Appl. Organomet. Chem. 2000, 14, 616-622. Starow-
ieyski, K. B.; Lewin´ski, J .; Woz´niak, R.; Lipkowski, J .; Chro´st, A.
Organometallics 2003, 22, 2458-2463.
(16) For recent studies on group 13 chelate complexes as precursors
for MOCVD see: (a) Park, J . H.; Horley, G. A.; O’Brien, P.; J ones, A.
C.; Motevalli, M. J . Mater. Chem. 2001, 11, 2346-2349. (b) Xu, C. Y.;
Baum, T. H.; Guzei, I.; Rheingold, A. L. Inorg. Chem. 2000, 39, 2008-
2010.
(17) Lewin´ski, J .; J ustyniak, I.; Ochal, Z.; Zachara, J . J . Chem. Soc.,
Dalton Trans. 1999, 2909-2911.
(18) Lewin´ski, J .; Zachara, J .; J ustyniak, I. Chem. Commun. 1997,
1519-1520.
(19) For selected examples of related works from other groups see:
(a) Schumann, H.; Girgsdies, F.; Dechert, S.; Gottfriedsen, J .; Hum-
mert, M.; Schutte, S.; Pickardt, J . Z. Anorg. Allg. Chem. 2002, 628,
2625-2630. (b) Schumann, H.; Wernik, S.; Wassermann, B. C.;
Girgsdies, F. J . Organomet. Chem. 2001, 621, 317-326. (c) Gelbrich,
T.; Hecht, E.; Thiele, K.-H.; Sieler, J . J . Organomet. Chem. 2000, 595,
21-30. (d) Lin, C.-H.; Ko, B.-T.; Wang, F.-C.; Lin, C.-C.; Kuo, C.-Y. J .
Organomet. Chem. 1999, 575, 67-75. (e) Francis, J . A.; McMahon, C.
N.; Bott, S. G.; Barron, A. R. Organometallics 1999, 18, 4399-4416.
(f) Francis, J . A.; Bott, S. G.; Barron, A. R. J . Chem. Soc., Dalton Trans.
1998, 3305-3310. (g) Hendershot, G.; Barber, M.; Kumar, R.; Oliver,
J . P. Organometallics 1991, 10, 3302-3309.
Liga n d Red istr ibu tion Rea ction s. We have previ-
ously reported that four-coordinate dialkylaluminum
complexes with a symmetrical bidentate acetylacetonate
ligand disproportionate in the presence of a Lewis base,
and the formation of stable five-coordinate adducts with
Lewis bases, i.e. R2Al(acac)(L), or bis-chelate RAl(acac)2
complexes (as an intermediate in the disproportionation
reaction) was not observed.20,21 We have been able to
isolate analogous five-coordinate aluminum complexes,
however, for unsymmetrical bidentate ligands such as
(20) Pasynkiewicz, S.; Lewin´ski, J . J . Organomet. Chem. 1985, 290,
15-23.