Probing the reactivity of a transient Al(I) species with substituted arenes

Abstract

With only a handful of compounds known, opportunities to explore the structure and reactivity of dialumenes and related dialumene adducts have been limited. For the first time, a series of dialumene-arene adducts has been synthesised (1-5), from reaction of Al(I) (A) and an aluminium dihydride (B). Adduct formation has been probed experimentally and through DFT, and their reactivity investigated.