A New Type of Asymmetric Tridentate Pyrrolyl-Linked Pincer Ligand and Its Aluminum Dihydride Complexes

The new pyrrolyl-linked pincer-type ligand, [C4H2NH(2-CH2NHtBu)(5-CH2NMe2)] (1), that has been employed conveniently in high yield by treatment of (2-t-butylaminomethyl)pyrrole with 1 equiv of formaldehyde and dimethylamine hydrochloride each in diethylether and its corresponding aluminum derivative, [C4H2N(2-CH2NHtBu)(5-CH2NMe2)]AlH2 (2), that has been generated from Me3N·AlH3 using diethylether as a solvent are described. Furthermore, reactions of 2 with 2 equiv of either 1,3-diphenylpropane-1,3-dione in diethylether or phenyl thioisocyanate in dichloromethane interestingly formed [C4H2N(2-CH2NHtBu)(5-CH2NMe2)]Al(PhCOCHCOPh)2 (3) and [C4H2N(2-CH2NHtBu)(5-CH2NMe2)]Al(SCHNPh)2 (4), respectively, following deprotonation or hydroalumination reaction kinetics under a dry nitrogen environment. All of the compounds have been subjected to the X-ray diffraction technique in the solid state as well as characterized by NMR spectra.