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A Crystalline Mono-Coordinate Indium(I)-Phosphaalkenyl.
Álvaro García-Romero1, Maren Pink1, Israel Fernández2
1Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, 800 East Kirkwood Ave., Bloomington, Indiana, 47405, USA.
Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English)
|January 16, 2026
Summary
A novel mono-coordinate indium(I) compound, In[C(Ad)═PTer], was synthesized using a redox-neutral insertion reaction. Steric bulk from the ligand prevents aggregation, and the reaction is reversible, unlike gallium analogues.
Area of Science:
- Organometallic Chemistry
- Main Group Chemistry
- Coordination Chemistry
Background:
- Indium(I) compounds are rare due to their tendency to aggregate.
- Sterically demanding ligands are crucial for stabilizing low-coordinate main group species.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize a novel mono-coordinate indium(I) complex.
- To investigate the reactivity and stability of indium(I) species.
- To compare the behavior of indium(I) with its lighter congener, gallium(I).
Main Methods:
- Redox-neutral insertion reaction of an indium(I) precursor with a phosphaalkyne.
- Characterization of the resulting indium(I) complex.
- Reversible reaction with a Lewis acid (B(C6F5)3) to demonstrate ligand extrusion.
- Comparative reaction with a gallium(I) analogue.
Main Results:
- Successful synthesis of the monomeric mono-coordinate indium(I) compound In[C(Ad)═PTer].
- The phosphaalkenyl ligand provides essential steric protection, preventing aggregation.
- The insertion reaction is reversible, extruding the phosphaalkyne upon reaction with B(C6F5)3.
- Gallium(I) analogues promote dimerization of the phosphaalkyne.
Conclusions:
- Steric protection is key to isolating stable, low-coordinate indium(I) complexes.
- The synthesized indium(I) compound exhibits unique reactivity compared to gallium(I).
- This work expands the scope of accessible low-coordinate indium chemistry.
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