Find in Library

A set of heteroleptic ethyl zinc <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mi>β</mi></semantics></math></inline-formula>-amidoenoates (<b>1</b>, <b>2</b>) and <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mi>β</mi></semantics></math></inline-formula>-ketoiminates (<b>3</b>) of the form [LZnEt]₂ with varying steric bulk have been synthesised via the reaction of diethylzinc with <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mi>β</mi></semantics></math></inline-formula>-aminoenoate ligands HL¹ and HL² and <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mi>β</mi></semantics></math></inline-formula>-ketoimine HL³. These complexes have been characterised via ¹H and ¹³C NMR, mass spectrometry and single-crystal X-ray diffraction, which unambiguously determined all three structures as dimeric species in the solid state. We observe the unusual dimerisation of <b>1</b> and <b>2</b> through coordination of the central zinc atom to the methine carbon of the second monomer, which gives these complexes high reactivity. The thermal properties of complex <b>3</b> are explored via thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), to investigate their potential as single-source precursors to zinc oxide, which shows that <b>3</b> has a significantly lower decomposition temperature as compared to its bis-ligated counterpart [Zn(L³)₂], which gives <b>3</b> promise as a single-source precursor to zinc oxide.