Seven-Membered Cyclic Potassium Diamidoalumanyls

The seven-membered cyclic potassium alumanyl species, {SiN^Mes}AlK]₂ {SiN^Mes}={CH₂SiMe₂N(Mes)}₂; Mes=2,4,6-Me₃C₆H₂], which adopts a dimeric structure supported by flanking K-aryl interactions, has been isolated either by direct reduction of the iodide precursor, {SiN^Mes}AlI], or in a stepwise manner via the intermediate dialumane, {SiN^Mes}Al]₂. Although the intermediate dialumane has not been observed by reduction of a Dipp-substituted analogue (Dipp=2,6-i-Pr₂C₆H₃), partial oxidation of the potassium alumanyl species, {SiN^Dipp}AlK]₂, where {SiN^Dipp}={CH₂SiMe₂N(Dipp)}₂, provided the extremely encumbered dialumane {SiN^Dipp}Al]₂. {SiN^Dipp}AlK]₂ reacts with toluene by reductive activation of a methyl C(sp³)-H bond to provide the benzyl hydridoaluminate, {SiN^Dipp}AlH(CH₂Ph)]K, and as a nucleophile with BPh₃ and RN=C=NR (R=i-Pr, Cy) to yield the respective Al-B- and Al-C-bonded potassium aluminaborate and alumina-amidinate products. The dimeric structure of {SiN^Dipp}AlK]₂ can be disrupted by partial or complete sequestration of potassium. Equimolar reactions with 18-crown-6 result in the corresponding monomeric potassium alumanyl, {SiN^Dipp}Al−K(18-cr-6)], which provides a rare example of a direct Al−K contact. In contrast, complete encapsulation of the potassium cation of {SiN^Dipp}AlK]₂, either by an excess of 18-cr-6 or 2,2,2-cryptand, allows the respective isolation of bright orange charge-separated species comprising the ‘free’ {SiN^Dipp}Al]⁻ alumanyl anion. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations performed on this moiety indicate HOMO-LUMO energy gaps in the of order 200–250 kJ mol⁻¹.