Unusual products from carbon dioxide insertion reactions into group 12 alkyls–alkylamides: the X-ray structure of a tetrameric alkylzinc carbamate [Me2Zn4(O2CNEt2)6]

The reaction of CO2 with mixed alkyls–alkylamides RMNEt2(R = Me or Et, M = Zn and R = Me, M = Cd) leads to solid tetrameric products; an X-ray structure is reported for [Me2Zn4(O2CNEt2)6] which contains two tetrahedral and two trigonal bipyramidal zinc atoms.