Inorganic Chemistry, Vol.54, No.15, 7139-7141, 2015
Synthesis and Characterization of alpha-Diimine Complexes of Group 13 Metals and Their Catalytic Activity toward the Epoxidation of Alkenes
Complexes of group 13 metal (Al, Ga, In) ions with neutral alpha-diimine ligands have been prepared and characterized. The Al-III and Ga-III [M(alpha-diimine)(2)Cl-2][MCl4] complexes catalyze the epoxidation of alkenes by peracetic acid under ambient conditions. The two complexes display nearly identical reactivity, demonstrating that inexpensive and highly abundant aluminum is a viable catalytic metal for these reactions.