Simple Trivalent Organoaluminum Species: Perspectives on Structure, Bonding and Reactivity
Janusz Lewiński,*ab Andrew E.H. Wheatleyc
a Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kasprzaka 44/52, 01-224 Warsaw, Poland
b Faculty of Chemistry, Warsaw University of Technology, Noakowskiego 3, 00-664 Warsaw, Poland
c Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Chapter in:
Modern Organoaluminum Reagents.
Preparation, Structure, Reactivity and Use Series
Editors: Simon Woodward, Samuel Dagorne.
DOI: 10.1007/3418_2012_55
ISBN: 978-3-642-33672-0
© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012
Published online: 10 November 2012
This chapter deals with the most significant developments in Al(III) organoaluminum chemistry since 2000. The most prominent synthetic and structural features along with reactivity trends are discussed for organoaluminum compounds featuring simple s-bonded substituents and the corresponding 4- and 5-coordinate complexes formed in the presence of Lewis base. The structural effects of including ligands with group 15 and 16 donors are discussed in terms of the formation of heteroatom bridges and the ubiquitous formation of cyclic motifs. The structural implications of using bidentate, chelating ligands are also introduced, including the propensity of these for stabilizing cationic Al(III) species. The current and potential utility of such species in areas such as catalysis and material science is also highlighted with, whenever appropriate, structure/reactivity correlations.