Structures, Bonding, and Reaction Chemistry of the Neutral Organogallium(I) Compounds (GaAr)n (n = 1 or 2) (Ar = Terphenyl or Related Ligand): An Experimental Investigation of Ga−Ga Multiple Bonding

The synthesis, structure, and properties of several new organogallium(I) compounds are reported. The monovalent compounds GaAr* (Ar* = C(6)H(3)-2,6-Trip(2), Trip = C(6)H(2)-2,4,6-Pr(i)()(3), 1), GaAr# (Ar# = C(6)H(3)-2,6(Bu(t)Dipp)(2), Bu(t)Dipp = C(6)H(2)-2,6-Pr(i)(2)-4-Bu(t)(), 4), and the dimeric (GaAr')(2) (Ar' = C(6)H(3)-2,6-Dipp(2), Dipp = C(6)H(3)-2,6-Pr(i)(2), 6) were synthesized by the reaction of "GaI" with (Et(2)O)LiAr*, (Et(2)O)LiAr# (3), or (LiAr')(2). Compounds 1 and 4 were isolated as green crystals, whereas 6 was obtained as a brown-red crystalline solid. All three compounds dissolved in hydrocarbon solvents to give green solutions and almost identical UV/visible spectra. Cryoscopy of 1 and 6 showed that they were monomeric in cyclohexane. Crystals of 1 and 4 were unsuitable for X-ray crystal structure determinations, but an X-ray data set for 6 showed that it was weakly dimerized in the solid with a long Ga-Ga bond of 2.6268(7) A and a trans-bent CGaGaC core array. The 1,2-diiodo-1,2-diaryldigallane compounds [Ga(Ar*)I](2) (2), [Ga(Ar#)I](2) (5), and [Ga(Ar')I](2) (7) were isolated as byproducts of the synthesis of 1, 4, and 6. The crystal structures of 2 and 7 showed that they had planar ICGaGaCI core arrays with Ga-Ga distances near 2.49 A, consistent with Ga-Ga single bonding. Treatment of 1, 4, and 6 with B(C(6)F(5))(3) immediately afforded the 1:1 donor-acceptor complexes ArGa[B(C(6)F(5))(3)] (Ar = Ar*, 8; Ar#, 9; Ar', 10) that featured almost linear gallium coordination, Ga-B distances near the sum of the covalent radii of gallium and boron, as well as some close Ga...F contacts. Compound 1 also reacted with Fe(CO)(5) under ambient conditions to give Ar*GaFe(CO)(4) (11), which had been previously synthesized by the reaction of GaAr*Cl(2) with Na(2)Fe(CO)(4). Reaction of 1 with 2,3-dimethyl-1,3-butadiene afforded the compound [Ar*GaCH(2)C(Me)C(Me)CH(2)]2 (12) that had a 10-membered 1,5-Ga(2)C(8) ring with no Ga-Ga interaction. Stirring 1 or 6 with sodium readily gave Na(2)[Ar*GaGaAr*] (13) and Na(2)(Ar'GaGaAr') (14). The former species 13 had been synthesized previously by reduction of GaAr*Cl(2) with sodium and was described as having a Ga-Ga triple bond because of the short Ga-Ga distance and the electronic relationship between [Ar*GaGaAr*](2-) and the corresponding neutral group 14 alkyne analogues. Compound 14 has a similar structure featuring a trans-bent CGaGaC core, bridged by sodiums which were also coordinated to the flanking aryl rings of the Ar' ligands. The Ga-Ga bond length was found to be 2.347(1) A, which is slightly (ca. 0.02 A) longer than that reported for 13. Reaction of Ga[N(Dipp)C(Me)](2)CH, 15 (i.e., GaN(wedge)NDipp(2)), which is sterically related to 1, 4, and 6, with Fe(CO)(5) yielded Dipp(2)N(wedge)NGaFe(CO)(4) (16), whose Ga-Fe bond is slightly longer than that observed in 11. Reaction of the less bulky LiAr"(Ar"= C(6)H(3)-2,6-Mes(2)) with "GaI" afforded the new paramagnetic cluster Ga(11)Ar(4)" (17). The ready dissociation of 1, 4, and 6 in solution, the long Ga-Ga distance in 6, and the chemistry of these compounds showed that the Ga-Ga bonds are significantly weaker than single bonds. The reduction of 1 and 6 with sodium to give 13 and 14 supplies two electrons to the di-gallium unit to generate a single bond (in addition to the weak interaction in the neutral precursor) with retention of the trans-bent geometry. It was concluded that the stability of 13 and 14 depends on the matching size of the sodium ion, and the presence of Na-Ga and Na-Ar interactions that stabilize their Na(2)Ga(2) core structures.