A complex of gallium with a Schiff base - bis(orthoquinone) ligand

Abstract

The electrochemical oxidation of gallium in a cell containing a solution of 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol (H2dbc) in a mixture of liquid ammonia and diethyl ether gives rise to the complex Ga(dbqdi)2, where dbqdi is a tridentate ligand formed by the condensation of two molecules of H2dbc and ammonia. The same paramagnetic molecule can be prepared by treating GaCl3 with H2dbc in ethanol with concentrated aqueous ammonia, with subsequent aerial oxidation. The crystal parameters are triclinic, space group P[Formula: see text], a = 11.6140(8), b = 12.3415(9), c = 20.765(1) Å, α = 89.491(1)°, β = 74.287(1)°, γ = 75.748(1)°, Z = 2, and R = 0.0542 for 7578 unique reflections. The structure, which is based on a GaO4N2 kernel, is discussed on the basis of crystallographic and ESR results.Key words: gallium, electrochemical synthesis, electron spin resonance, X-ray crystallography.