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Updated: Mar 19, 2026

Characterizing Lewis Pairs Using Titration Coupled with In Situ Infrared Spectroscopy
Published on: February 20, 2020
Versatile coordination of a reactive P,N-ligand toward boron, aluminum and gallium and interconversion reactivity
M Devillard1, C Alvarez Lamsfus2, V Vreeken1
1Homogeneous, Bioinspired and Supramolecular, van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands. j.i.vandervlugt@uva.nl.
Abstract:
The synthesis and reactivity of the first Group 13 complexes bearing a dearomatized phosphino-amido ligand are reported, i.e. alane AlEt2(L) , gallane GaCl2(L) and borane B(Cl)(Ph)(L) . The three complexes react very differently with Group 13 trihalogenides, providing access to zwitterionic anti-·GaCl3 and the unique bis(metalloid) ·BCl2, with the boron center part of a highly unusual anionic four-membered ring (charge on C) and Ga bound to P. The coordination chemistry and the various transformations are supported by DFT calculations, X-ray crystallography and multinuclear NMR spectroscopic data.
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