Double insertion of CO₂ into an Al-Te multiple bond

Area of Science:

• Organometallic Chemistry
• Inorganic Chemistry

Background:

• Aluminum-tellurium chemistry is underexplored.
• Terminal aluminum-telluride bonds are synthetically challenging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a novel aluminum telluride complex.
• To investigate the reactivity of the Al-Te bond with small molecules.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of the [Al(NON^Dipp)(Te)(THF)]^- anion.
• Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations.
• Reaction studies with carbon dioxide (CO₂).

Main Results:

• Isolation and characterization of the [Al(NON^Dipp)(Te)(THF)]^- anion featuring a terminal Al-Te bond.
• DFT calculations confirmed significant Al-Te multiple bond character.
• The complex reacted with CO₂ via a double insertion pathway.

Conclusions:

• The study reports a stable terminal aluminum telluride species.
• The Al-Te bond displays multiple bond character.
• A novel tellurodicarbonate ligand was formed through CO₂ insertion.