title: Univalent gallium and indium phosphane complexes: from pyramidal M(PPh3)3(+) to carbene-analogous bent M(PtBu3)2(+) (M=Ga, In) complexes.
abstract: In a new oxidative route, Ag(+)[Al(OR(F))(4)](-) (R(F)=C(CF(3))(3)) and metallic indium were sonicated in aromatic solvents, such as fluorobenzene (PhF), to give a precipitate of silver metal and highly soluble [In(PhF)(n)](+) salts (n=2, 3) with the weakly coordinating [Al(OR(F))(4)](-) anion in quantitative yield. The In(+) salt and the known analogous Ga(+)[Al(OR(F))(4)](-) were used to synthesize a series of homoleptic PR(3) phosphane complexes [M(PR(3))(n)](+), that is, the weakly PPh(3)-bridged [(Ph(3)P)(3)In-(PPh(3))-In(PPh(3))(3)](2+) that essentially contains two independent [In(PPh(3))(3)](+) cations or, with increasing bulk of the phosphane, the carbene-analogous [M(PtBu(3))(2)](+) (M=Ga, In) cations. The M(I)-P distances are 27 to 29 pm longer for indium, and thus considerably longer than the difference between their tabulated radii (18 pm). The structure, formation, and frontier orbitals of these complexes were investigated by calculations at the BP86/SV(P), B3LYP/def2-TZVPP, MP2/def2-TZVPP, and SCS-MP2/def2-TZVPP levels.
authors.affiliation: Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Institut für Anorganische und Analytische Chemie, Freiburger Materialforschungszentrum FMF and Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies FRIAS, Section Soft Matter Science, Albertstrasse 21, 79104 Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Higelin
authors.forename: Ulf
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Sachs
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Keller
authors.forename: Ingo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Krossing