Boosting Low‐Valent Aluminum(I) Reactivity with a Potassium Reagent

The reagent RK R=CH(SiMe₃)₂ or N(SiMe₃)₂] was expected to react with the low‐valent (^DIPPBDI)Al (^DIPPBDI=HCC(Me)N(DIPP)]₂, DIPP=2,6‐iPr‐phenyl) to give (^DIPPBDI)AlR]^?K⁺. However, deprotonation of the Me group in the ligand backbone was observed and H₂C=C(N‐DIPP)?C(H)=C(Me)?N?DIPP]Al^?K⁺ ( 1 ) crystallized as a bright‐yellow product (73 %). Like most anionic Al^I complexes, 1 forms a dimer in which formally negatively charged Al centers are bridged by K⁺ ions, showing strong K⁺???DIPP interactions. The rather short Al–K bonds 3.499(1)–3.588(1) Å] indicate tight bonding of the dimer. According to DOSY NMR analysis, 1 is dimeric in C₆H₆ and monomeric in THF, but slowly reacts with both solvents. In reaction with C₆H₆, two C?H bond activations are observed and a product with a para‐phenylene moiety was exclusively isolated. DFT calculations confirm that the Al center in 1 is more reactive than that in (^DIPPBDI)Al. Calculations show that both Al^I and K⁺ work in concert and determines the reactivity of 1 .