The intramolecularly stabilized mono- and dialkylaluminum
complexes 1a, 2, 3, 4a,
5a, 5c, 6a,
6c,
7, 8, and 9 in the presence of
palladium catalysts, cross-alkylate aryl, vinyl, and benzyl
bromides
and iodides under mild standard laboratory conditions. Aryl
bromides with carbonyl substituents
or benzylic halides are converted partially into dialkyl compounds.
Under similar conditions, the
analogous stabilized dimethylgallium complexes 1b,
4b, 5b, 6b, and 10
methylate aryl and vinyl
bromides and iodides in a highly selective manner. Substituted
bromobenzenes XC6H4Br, where
X = CHO, COPh, CO2Et, CN, NO2, Cl,
CH2Br, or CHCHCOPh, are methylated by the
organogallium reagents usually only at the aromatic ring halogen atom
to give substituted toluenes
as single products. The methylation rates were shown to depend on
the nature of the chelating
ligands, on the solvent, and on the type of palladium catalyst
employed.