Ga2I2[C(SiMe3)3]2 – an organogallium(ii) halide containing a Ga–Ga single bond

Abstract

Treatment of the tetrahedral, tetranuclear gallium(I) cluster compound Ga₄[C(SiMe₃)₃]₄ (5) with a mixture of AlI₃ and ICl afforded in 58% yield the yellowish dinuclear digallium(II) compound Ga₂I₂[C(SiMe₃)₃]₂ (6), an X-ray crystallographic study of which has shown it to contain a nonplanar (symmetry C₂) Ga₂I₂C₂ skeleton and two three-coordinate gallium(II) atoms linked by a single gallium–gallium bond. DFT calculations on 6 and related compounds with alternative structures and the molecular structure of the organogallium(III) iodide, Ga₂I₄[C(SiMe₃)₃]₂ (7) are also described and discussed.