BIMETALLIC ALUMINUM AND GALLIUM DERIVATIVES OF 1,1,1,5,5,5-HEXAFLUOROPENTANE-2,4-DIONE VIA SELECTIVE METALATION HYDROMETALLATION

Reaction of H3M.NMe3, M = Al or Ga, with 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoropentane-2,4-dione resulted in metallation/reduction, M = Al, or reduction, M = Ga, of the beta-diketone, both products being isolated as binuclear species, [Al2{OC(CF3)=CHCH(CF3)O}3(NMe3)2] (structurally authenticated for the RRS/SSR diastereoisomer), and [Ga2{rac-OCH(CF3)CH2CH(CF3)O}3(NMe3)2] (D3 symmetry) containing five- or four-co-ordinate metal centres respectively; pentane-2,4-dione, 1,1,1-trifluoropentane-2,4-dione and 2,2,6,6-tetramethylheptane-3,5-dione afford exclusively metallation products, isolated as the tris(beta-diketonato)metal(III) complexes.