Addition of dimethylaluminium chloride to N,N′-Disubstituted carbodiimides

Abstract

Reactivity of trimethylaluminium, dimethylaluminium chloride and methylaluminium dichloride with N,N′-diisopropyl-, N,N′-dicyclohexyl- or N,N′-bis(diisopropylphenyl) carbodiimide (Dipp-NCN-Dipp) via the nucleophilic addition mechanism was studied. Six aluminium(III) complexes containing amidinato ligands were prepared and isolated. All reactions as well as the purity and structural confirmation of products were monitored using 1H and 13C NMR techniques. Reactions of prepared [Dipp-N-C(Me)–N-Dipp]AlMeCl with potassium mirror or pivalonitrile were also investigated. Molecular structures of five aluminium(III) mono- or bisamidinates and two dinuclear oxo-aluminium(III) amidinato by-products displaying four- or five-coordinated aluminium atom were determined by X-ray diffraction techniques.