Group 1 and 13 complexes of aryl-substituted bis(phosphinimino)methyls

The organolithium reagent [{HC(Ph2PNC6H2Me3-2,4,6)2}Li(OEt2)] was easily obtained by deprotonation of H2C(Ph2PNC6H2Me3-2,4,6)2 with nBuLi in diethyl ether solution. The crystal structure of [{HC(Ph2PNC6H2Me3-2,4,6)2}Li(OEt2)] has been determined and shown to consist a monomeric chelate structure that contains a distorted, trigonal planar lithium centre. The ligand precursor has also been deprotonated with both Me3Al and Me2AlCl to yield the tetrahedral organoaluminium complexes, [{HC(Ph2PNC6H2Me3-2,4,6)2}AlMe2] and [{HC(Ph2PNC6H2Me3-2,4,6)2}Al(Cl)Me]. Reaction of [{HC(Ph2PNC6H2Me3-2,4,6)2}Li(OEt2)] with either AlX3 (X=Cl, Br, I) or GaCl3 yielded a series of dihalo derivatives [{HC(Ph2PNC6H2Me3-2,4,6)2}MX2] all of which have been shown to exist as similar monomeric species containing four-coordinate group 13 centres.