Divergent coordination mode of magnesium and zinc alkyls supported by the bifunctional pyrrolylaldiminato ligand

The first magnesium and zinc alkyls derived from N-(iso-propyl)-pyrrolylaldimine have been synthesised and structurally characterised: both tBuM(N,N')-type compounds exist as three-coordinate monomers in benzene solution, but in the solid state the magnesium complex is a centrosymmetric dimer with Mg2(mu-N)2 bridges, whereas the zinc complex is a Zn...pi bonded dimer with a pi-coordinated pyrrole unit.