Diorgano-gallium and -indium complexes with salen ligands: Synthesis, characterization, crystal structure and C-C coupling reactions

The reactions of triorgano-gallium and -indium etherate with salen ligands in benzene afforded complexes of the type R₂MOC₆H₄CR′NCH₂-]₂, (R/M/R′ = Me/Ga/H (1), Et/Ga/H (2), Me/In/H (3), Et/Ga/Me (4)) in nearly quantitative yields. These complexes have been characterized by elemental analysis, IR, UV-Vis, NMR (¹H and ¹³C{¹H}) and mass spectral data. The organogallium complexes showed photoluminescence in blue-green region. The complex, (Me₂Ga)₂(O-(C₆H₄)CHN-CH₂-)₂] on recrystallization from benzene-hexane and dichloromethane gave orthorhombic and monoclinic forms, respectively. Both the forms are dimeric with gallium atoms acquiring a distorted tetrahedral configuration defined by two methyl groups, phenolate oxygen and azomethene nitrogen. The complexes (Me₂Ga)₂(O-(C₆H₄)CHN-CH₂-)₂] and (Me₂In)₂(O-(C₆H₄)CHN-CH₂-)₂] have been employed as alkylating agent for C-C coupling reaction of 1-bromonaphthalene in presence of PdCl₂(PPh₃)₂.