Abstract
Expanding knowledge of low valent aluminium chemistry, rubidium and caesium aluminyls are reported to complete the group 1 (Li–Cs) set of metal aluminyls. Both compounds crystallize as a contacted dimeric pair supported by M⋯π(arene) interactions with a pronounced twist between aluminyl units. Density functional theory calculations show symmetrical bonding between the M and Al atoms, with an Al centred lone-pair donating into vacant Rb and Cs orbitals. Interestingly, despite their structural similarity the Cs aluminyl enables C–H bond activation of benzene, but not the Rb aluminyl reflecting the importance of the alkali metal in these heterobimetallic systems.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1390-1393 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Chemical communications (Cambridge, England) |
| Volume | 58 |
| Issue number | 9 |
| Early online date | 7 Jan 2022 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 28 Jan 2022 |
Funding
TXG and REM thank the EPSRC for financial support (EP/S029788/1) and Craig Irving for his wise advice regarding the NMR investigations. MPC and MJE acknowledge Government funding from the Marsden Fund Council, managed by Royal Society Te Ap¯arangi (Grant Number: MFP-VUW2020). SEN and CLM acknowledge funding from the EPSRC (EP/R020752). MJE acknowledges a Victoria University of Wellington Doctoral Scholarship. This research used the Balena (Bath) and R¯apoi (VUW) High Performance Computing (HPC) Services. Data used within this publication can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.15129/ e59234ad-9d5b-4fcd-8254-434f0870db11.
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