Inorganic Chemistry, Vol.40, No.6, 1316-1322, 2001
Novel aluminum hydride derivatives from the reaction of H3Al center dot NMe3 with the cyclosilazanes [Me2SiNH](3) and [Me2SiNH](4)
The amine hydrogen atoms of the cyclic trimeric silazane [Me2SiNH](3) are readily replaced by the H2Al . NMe3 group in a simple aminolyis reaction of [Me2SiNH](3) with H3Al . NMe3 to afford the aluminum amides (Me2SiNAlH2. NMe3)(n)(Me2SiNH)(3-n) (1, n = 3; 2, n = 1; 4, n = 2). The monosubstituted amide 2 could not be isolated, because it undergoes condensation to the tricyclic compound 1,1',2,2'-(HAlMe3)(2) (NSiMe2NSiMe2N(H)SiMe2)(2) (3). Contrary to these results the analogous reactions of the more flexible cyclic tetrameric silazane [Me2SiNH](4) with H3Al . NMe3 did not give simple aluminum amides, but complicated mixtures were obtained from which the interesting polycyclic species Al5C22H73N10S18.C6H6 (5) and Al6C22H76N10Si8.1/4 C6H14 (6) could be isolated in low yields. A key step in the formation of 5 and 6 is a low-temperature dehydrosilylation reaction which leads to cleavage of the silazane ring. Compounds 1, 3, and 4 were characterized spectroscopically (H-1, C-13, Al-27 NMR and FTIR) and by single crystal X-ray diffraction, whereas 5 and 6 were characterized by X-ray diffraction only. Thermolysis experiments involving 1 and 3 indicate that the onset of Al-N bond formation via dehydrosilylation is accompanied by loss of trimethylamine and formation of larger aggregates, which are stable to further silane elimination to at least 620 degreesC.