Syntheses and structures of products resulting from oxygen insertion and hydrolysis of Salan-Al compounds

The combination of one and two equivalents of AlMe3 with the ligand, Salean (Bu-t)H-4 (N,N'-bis((3,5-di-tert-butyl)-2-hydroxybenzyl)-1,2-diamino ethane ) leads to the compounds, Salean(Bu-t)H2AlMe (I), and Salean(Bu)HAlMe(AlMe2 ) (2). When 2 is exposed to air, [Salean(Bu-t)HAlOMe](2) (3) first forms, a nd then, after several days, [Salean(Bu-t)H2AlOH](2) (4). Compound 4 is the only product that occurs when 1 is exposed to air. All four compounds have been characterized by spectroscopic (IR,H-1 NMR, Al-27 NMR) and physical t echniques (Mp, C,H analysis) and, in the case of 3 and 4, by X-ray crystall ography. The structures consist of dimeric units with bridging OMe and OH g roups. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.