Adducts of organogallium chlorides with hydrazines and the formation of dimeric dialkylgallium hydrazides possessing different ring sizes

The dialkylgallium chlorides R₂GaCl (R = Me, Et, CMe₃) reacted with hydrazines H₂N-N(H)R′ (R′ = CMe₃, C₆H₅) to form the adducts R₂ClGa ← NH₂-N(H)R′ (1-4), in which the gallium atoms are coordinated by the NH₂ nitrogen atoms of the hydrazine ligands. Treatment of these adducts with tert-butyllithium as a base afforded dialkylgallium hydrazides (R₂Ga-N₂H₂R′)₂ 5 (R = R′ = CMe₃) and 6 (R = CMe₃, R′ = C₆H₅)] by deprotonation of the hydrazine ligands and precipitation of LiCl in two cases only. The remaining adducts gave a substitution reaction at gallium or an unclear reaction course. The hydrazides 5 and 6 adopt different structures in the solid state. The tri(tert-butyl) compound 5 possesses a four-membered Ga₂N₂ heterocycle in its molecular core with two exocyclic N-N bonds, which represents the structural motif usually observed for dialkylgallium hydrazides. 6 has a five-membered Ga₂N₃ heterocycle with one endocyclic and one exocyclic N-N bond. That structure is preserved in solution as clearly shown by NMR spectroscopy. The behaviour of 5 in solution is more complicated, which may be caused by cis/trans isomerization.