Reactivity of tetraisobutyldialuminum toward water, hydrogen chloride, toluene-3,4-dithiol, pentacarbonylmanganese hydride, and diborane

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/om00127a010

The relative reactivities of Al-Al and Al-C bonds, Al₂(i-Bu)₄, have been examined employing the protonic reagents H₃O⁺, HCl(g), toluene-3,4-dithiol, and HMn(CO)₅. Excess H₂O, pH 1, results in 100% cleavage of both Al-Al and Al-C bonds, whereas the Al-Al bond exhibits greater reactivity toward HCl(g). In a similar manner the -SH moiety also reacts more readily with the metal-metal bond. In contrast the weak acid HMn(CO)₅ is unreactive toward Al₂(i-Bu)₄. The latter also reacts with a hydride source, B₂H₆, to afford an insoluble material with the empirical stoichiometry AlB₂H₄. On the basis of deuterolysis data, the molecular formulation AL₂(BH₂)₄ is suggested with extensive intermolecular hydrogen bonding.