Organogallium compounds containing the neophyl substituent. Crystal and molecular structure of trans-[(PhMe2CCH2)2GaN(H)(Pr)]2

Abstract : The utilization of gallium in electronic materials including semiconductors and superconductors has led to a renewed interest in its chemistry. Even though a variety of organogallium compounds are known, relatively little is known about compounds which incorporate bulky organic substituents. Bulky substituents can lead to compounds with enhanced thermal stability as well as to compounds with unexpected structures. Consequently, our prior research involved investigations of the chemistry of gallium compounds with CH2SiMe3, 1CH2CMe3, 2,4,6-Me3-C6H2 and C5Me5 substituents but only the mesityl derivative Ga(C6Me3H2)C12 displayed unusual chemistry. The compound Ga(C6Me3H2)C12 was characterized as a unique one dimensional polymer in which planar Ga(C6Me3H2)C1 units with distorted tetrahedral geometry were linked by bridging chloride ligands. The traditional structure of an organogallium dichloride is a chloride bridged dimer.