Synthesis and characterization of dialkylaluminum arylimine complexes

•One-pot synthesis of six new ortho-metallated arylimine aluminum complexes was performed.•Synthetic routes are and full spectral characterization are included.•Crystallographic studies were performed on two complexes to confirm structural orientation.

A series of six new aluminum(III) complexes with o-metalated arylimine ligands [o-C6H4(CHNR') (R' = 2,6-iPr2C6H3, 2,6-Me2C6H3)] have been synthesized from the reactions of R2AlCl (R = Me, Et) with o-C6H4(CHNR')Li (R' = 2,6-iPr2C6H3, 2,6-Me2C6H3, t-Bu) in pentane. The complexes all have 4 coordinate pseudo-tetrahedral aluminum centers ligated by two alkyl groups and one bidentate ligand moiety. All six complexes 2a–4b have been fully characterized by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy and the molecular structures of 2b and 3a were determined by X-ray crystallography.

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