Divergent coordination mode of magnesium and zinc alkyls supported by the bifunctional pyrrolylaldiminato ligand

The first magnesium and zinc alkyls derived from N-(iso-propyl)-pyrrolylaldimine have been synthesised and structurally characterised: both tBuM(N,Nʹ)-type compounds exist as three-coordinate monomers in benzene solution, but in the solid state the magnesium complex is a centrosymmetric dimer with Mg2((mu)-N)2 bridges, whereas the zinc complex is a Zn...(pi) bonded dimer with a (pi)-coordinated pyrrole unit.