Main Group Metal Complexes of Si, Ge and Al with an Unsymmetrical N,N’‐Substituted Diamide Ligand

Abstract Unsymmetrically N , N ’‐substituted metal amides of silicon, germanium and aluminium were synthesized starting from N ‐ethyl‐2‐( n ‐propylaminomethyl)phenylamine ( 1 , Et, n Pr‐ampaH 2 ). Reaction of the dilithium compound of 1 with SiCl 4 gave spirocyclic Si(Et, n Pr‐ampa) 2 ( 2 ) and Cl 2 Si(Et, n Pr‐ampa) ( 3 ). Reduction of 3 with potassium resulted in the formation of the corresponding cyclotetrasilane [Si(Et, n Pr‐ampa)] 4 ( 4 ), whereas the reaction of 3 with lithium triethylborohydride gave the dihydro silane H 2 Si(Et, n Pr‐ampa) ( 5 ). The corresponding germanium(IV) compounds Ge(Et, n Pr‐ampa) 2 ( 6 ) and Cl 2 Ge(Et, n Pr‐ampa) ( 7 ) were synthesized starting from GeCl 4 , amine 1 and NEt 3 using appropriate stoichiometric ratios. Reaction of Ge[N(SiMe 3 ) 2 ] 2 with amine 1 provided the germylene [Ge(Et, n Pr‐ampa)] 2 ( 8 ). The aluminium dichloro compound Cl 2 Al(Et, n Pr‐ampaH) ( 9 ) was obtained either by reaction of the dichlorogermine 7 with lithium aluminium hydride or by reaction of the dilithium salt of 1 with AlCl 3 . Reaction of trimethylaluminium with amine 1 provided the amido‐amine (CH 3 ) 2 Al(Et, n Pr‐ampaH) ( 10 ) which was converted into the diamide CH 3 Al(Et, n Pr‐ampa) ( 11 ) by methane elimination.