NHC-stabilized Alanes and Gallanes

Abstract

This thesis describes the synthesis and reactivity of NHC-stabilized Lewis-acid/Lewis-base adducts of alanes and gallanes (NHC = Me2ImMe, iPr2Im, iPr2ImMe, Dipp2Im, Dipp2ImH). As this field of research has developed tremendously, especially in the last five years, the first chapter provides an overview of the current state of knowledge. The influence of electronegative π-donor-substituents on the stability of the NHC alane adducts is examined in chapter 2. For this purpose, the carbene stabilized alanes (NHC)∙AlH3 (NHC = iPr2Im, Dipp2Im) were reacted with secondary amines of different steric demand and with phenols. The π-donor substituents saturate the Lewis acidic aluminium center and coordination of a second NHC-ligand was not observed. The strongly electronegative N and O substituents increase the Lewis acidity of the aluminium atom, which leads to stronger Al-CNHC as well as Al-H bonds, which inhibits the insertion of the carbene into the Al-H bond. In Chapter 3 the development of the synthesis and reactivity of carbene-stabilized gallanes is presented. The synthesis of NHC gallane adducts (NHC)∙GaH3, (NHC)∙GaH2Cl and (NHC)∙GaHCl2 and their reactivity towards NHCs and cAACMe were investigated in detail. The reaction of the mono- and dichlorogallanes (NHC)∙GaH2Cl and (NHC)∙GaHCl2 (NHC = iPr2ImMe, Dipp2Im) with cAACMe led to insertion of the cAACMe with formation of chiral and achiral compounds depending on the sterically demand of the used NHC. Furthermore, the formation of bis-alkylgallanes was observed for the insertion of two equivalents of cAACMe with release of the NHC ligand. Chapter 4 describes investigations concerning the synthesis and reactivity of NHC-stabilized iodoalanes and iodogallanes, which are suitable for the formation of cationic aluminium and gallium dihydrides. The reaction of (NHC)∙EH2I (E = Al, Ga) stabilized by the sterically less demanding NHCs (NHC = Me2ImMe, iPr2Im, iPr2ImMe) with an additional equivalent of the NHC led to the formation of the cationic bis-NHC aluminium and gallium dihydrides [(NHC)2∙AlH2]+I- and [(NHC)2∙GaH2]+I-. Furthermore, the influence of the steric demand of the used NHC was investigated. The adduct (Dipp2Im)∙GaH2I was reacted with an additional equivalent of Dipp2Im. Due to the bulk of the NHC used, rearrangement of one of the NHC ligands from normal to abnormal coordination occurred and the cationic gallium dihydride [(Dipp2Im)∙GaH2(aDipp2Im)] was isolated. Chapter 5 of this thesis reports investigations concerning the reduction of cyclopentadienyl-substituted alanes and gallanes with singlet carbenes. NHC stabilized pentamethylcyclopentadienyl aluminium and gallium dihydrides (NHC)∙Cp*MH2 (E = Al, Ga) were prepared by the reaction of (AlH2Cp*)3 with the corresponding NHCs or by the salt elimination of (NHC)∙GaH2I with KCp*. The gallane adducts decompose at higher temperatures with reductive elimination of Cp*H and formation of Cp*GaI. . The reductive elimination is preferred for sterically demanding NHCs (Dipp2Im > iPr2ImMe > Me2ImMe). In addition, NHC ring expansion of the backbone saturated carbene Dipp2ImH was observed for the reaction of the NHC with (AlH2Cp*)3, which led to (RER-Dipp2ImHH2)AlCp*. Furthermore, the reactivity of the adducts (NHC)∙Cp*EH2 (E = Al, Ga) towards cAACMe was investigated. The reaction of the alane adducts stabilized by the sterically more demanding NHCs iPr2ImMe and Dipp2Im afforded the exceptionally stable insertion product (cAACMeH)Cp*AlH V-10 with liberation of the NHC. The reaction of the gallium hydrides (NHC)∙Cp*GaH2 with cAACMe led to the reductive elimination of cAACMeH2 and formation of Cp*GaI. A variety of neutral and cationic carbene-stabilized alanes and gallanes are presented in this work. The introduction of electronegative π-donor substituents (Cl-, I-, OR-, NR2-) and the investigations on the thermal stability of these compounds led to the conclusion that the stability of alanes and gallanes increased significantly by such a substitution. Investigations on the reactivity of the NHC adducts towards cAACMe resulted in various insertion products of the carbene into the Al-H or Ga-H bonds and the first cAACMe stabilized dichlorogallane was isolated. Furthermore, a first proof was provided that carbenes can be used specifically for the (formal) reduction of group 13 hydrides of the higher homologues. Thus, the synthesis of Cp*GaI from the reaction of (NHC)∙Cp*GaH2 with cAACMe was developed. In the future, this reaction pathway could be of interest for the preparation of other low-valent compounds of aluminium and gallium.