Analogies between the Reactivities of an Anionic Gallium(I) Heterocycle and N-Heterocyclic Carbenes Toward Metallocenes

The synthesis, spectroscopic and structural characterization of the novel nickel−gallium(I) heterocycle complex, [{Ga[N(Ar)C(H)]2}2Ni(μ-Cp)K(tmeda)(μ-Cp)K(μ-C7H8)0.5]∞, Ar = C6H3Pri2-2,6, are reported. The compound is polymeric in the solid state and reacts with an N-heterocyclic carbene to give the neutral, square planar complex, trans-[Ni{C[N(Me)C(Me)]2}2{Ga[N(Ar)C(H)]2}2]. Analogies between the reactivities of the gallium(I) heterocycle and isoelectronic N-heterocyclic carbenes are discussed.