Synthesis and structural characterisation of aluminium imino-amide and pyridyl-amide complexes: bulky monoanionic N,N chelate ligands via methyl group transfer

Treatment of the imines ArN=CH-CH=NAr] and ArN=CH-2-py] (Ar=2,6-Pr₂ⁱC₆H₃) with AlMe₃ in toluene affords the highly crystalline complexes AlMe₂{ArN-CH₂-C(Me)=NAr}] (1) and AlMe₂{ArN-CH(Me)-2-py}] (2); the molecular structures of 1 and 2 show that the aluminiums are bonded to imino-amide and pyridyl-amide ligands respectively arising from methyl group transfer from the aluminium centre to the backbone carbon of the imine ligand.