Hydroamination of alkynes with aromatic amines catalyzed by digallane (dpp-bian)Ga—Ga(dpp-bian)

Digallane (dpp-bian)Ga—Ga(dpp-bian) (1) (dpp-bian is the 1,2-bis[(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imino]acenaphthene) catalyzes the addition of 4-chloroaniline to some terminal alkynes RC≡CH (R = Bun, Ph, 4-MeC6H4). The reaction orders in each of the substrates were found for the reaction of phenylacetylene with 4-chloroaniline catalyzed by compound 1. The reaction of compound 1 with phenylacetylene in a molar ratio of 1: 10 led to 1-[N-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imino]-2-(1-phenylethylidene)acenaphthene (5) and the compound [C12H6(NC6H3Pr2i)(PhC=CH2)(PhC=CH)]Ga(C≡CPh)2 (6). The reaction of digallane 1 with phenylacetylene and aniline in a stoichiometric ratio of 1: 2: 2 gave bis-anilide (dpp-bian)-Ga[N(H)Ph]2 (7) in 40% yield. The compound (PhC≡C)3Ga·THF (9) was obtained by the reaction of three equivalents of sodium phenylacetylide (prepared in situ from phenylacetylene and sodium) with one equivalent of GaCl3 in tetrahydrofuran. Compounds 5—7 and 9 were characterized by IR spectroscopy, 1H NMR spectroscopy was used to characterize products 5, 6, and 9, whereas EPR spectroscopy was used for amide 7. The structures of compounds 5—7 and 9 were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis.