GROUP 13 CLUSTER CHEMISTRY: ORGANOGALLIUM AND -INDIUM SUBHALIDES AND RADICALS

Abstract

Organogallium or-indium subhalides are easily available by the halogenation of the corresponding tetrahedral clusters E ₄ [C(SiMe ₃ ) ₃ ] ₄ . Three types of compounds are formed that retain the tetrahedral arrangement of In atoms or give chains with two or three Ga or In atoms connected by E─E bonds. These subhalides are suitable starting compounds for the synthesis of secondary products containing the elements in low oxidation states. Carboxylato derivatives or transition metal complexes were obtained on such a route. A persistent radical anion was formed on electron transfer to Ga ₉ (CMe ₃ ) ₉ .

Keywords:

• Clusters
• gallium
• indium
• subvalent compounds

I am very grateful to my coworkers Dr. Lars Cuypers, Abdel Hakim El-Hamdan, Andreas Lawerenz, and Dr. Sandra Melle. We all are grateful to the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and the Fonds der Chemischen Industrie for generous financial support.

Notes

^a Distances to the capping atoms.

^b Distances along the edges of the triangles of the trigonal prism.

^c Distances parallel to the threefold rotations axis (dashed lines in Scheme 3).