Gallium hydrazides are potentially applicable as facile starting compounds for the generation of GaN by thermolysis. The decomposition pathways are, however, complicated and depend strongly on the substituents attached to the gallium atoms and the hydrazido groups. This paper describes some systematic investigations into the thermolysis of the gallium hydrazine adduct Bu(t)(3)Ga←NH(2)-NHMe (1a) and the dimeric gallium hydrazides [R(2)Ga(N(2)H(2)R')](2) (2b, R = Bu(t), R' = Bu(t); 2c, R = Pr(i), R' = Ph; 2d, R = Me, R' = Bu(t)) which have four- or five-membered heterocycles in their molecular cores. Heating of the adduct 1a to 170 °C gave the heterocyclic compound Bu(t)(2)Ga(μ-NH(2))[μ-N(Me)-N(=CH(2))]GaBu(t)(2) (3) by cleavage of N-N bonds and rearrangement. 3 was further converted at 400 °C into the tetrameric gallium cyanide (Bu(t)(2)GaCN)(4) (4). The thermolysis of the hydrazide (Bu(t)(2)Ga)(2)(NH-NHBu(t))(2) (2b) at temperatures between 270 and 420 °C resulted in cleavage of all N-N bonds and the formation of an octanuclear gallium imide, (Bu(t)GaNH)(8) (6). The trimeric dialkylgallium amide (Bu(t)(2)GaNH(2))(3) (5) was isolated as an intermediate. Thermolysis of the hydrazides (Pr(i)(2)Ga)(2)(NH-NHPh)(NH(2)-NPh) (2c) and (Me(2)Ga)(2)(NH-NHBu(t))(2) (2d) proceeded in contrast with retention of the N-N bonds and afforded a variety of novel gallium hydrazido cage compounds with four gallium atoms and up to four hydrazido groups in a single molecule: (Pr(i)Ga)(4)(NH-NPh)(3)NH (7), (MeGa)(4)(NH-NBu(t))(4) (8), (MeGa)(4)(NH-NBu(t))(3)NBu(t) (9), and (MeGa)(4)(NHNBu(t))(3)NH (10). Partial hydrolysis gave reproducibly the unique octanuclear mixed hydrazido oxo compound (MeGa)(8)(NHNBu(t))(4)O(4) (11).

Thermolysis of the bicyclic gallium hydrazide [(GaMe(2))(4)(NH-NMe)(NH-NHMe)(2)] (1) yielded the unique cage compound [(GaMe)(4)(GaMe(2))(4)(N(2))(NH-NMe)(4)] (2). Compound 2 contains a remarkable hydrazinetetraide moiety, [N-N](4-), as the central structural motif which is stabilised by coordination to six gallium atoms.

The thermal decomposition of the hydrazine adducts R3Al←NH2–N(H)CMe3 (1a, R = CMe3; 1b, R = Me) was investigated. Compound 1a afforded the hydrazide [(Me3C)2Al–N(H)–N(H)–CMe3]2 (2) upon heating to 155 °C. Compound 2 is dimeric in the solid state with a four‐membered Al2N2 heterocycle in its molecular core. Heating of 2 to 190 °C gave the drum‐like imidoalane [Me3CAlNH]6 (4) in which the Al and N atoms occupy the vertices of a hexagonal prism. This reaction is believed to proceed via the dimeric amide [(Me3C)2Al–NH2]2 (3) that was isolated in small quantities from a mixture obtained at a slightly lower temperature. Adduct 1b, which is sterically less shielded than 1a, decomposes readily at room temperature to yield an unprecedented Al–N cage compound, [Me2Al–N(H)–N(H)CMe3]2[MeAl–N(CMe3)–NH] (5), with a norbornane‐like arrangement of three Al and four N atoms, and a hydrazinediido group in the bridging position. Heating of 5 gave, with the release of methane, the tetraaluminum compound [MeAlN(H)–NCMe3]4 (6) in which four hydrazinediide moieties are bridged by AlMe groups. Heating of 6 resulted in the gradual degradation of the N–N bonds and the formal release of 1 or 3 equiv. of nitrene, N–H, to give the unique cage compounds (MeAl)4[N(H)–NCMe3]3(NCMe3) (7) and (MeAl)4[N(H)–NCMe3](NCMe3)3 (8). The structures of compounds 6–8 may be derived from Al4N4 cubes in which a number of edges (four, three or one) are bridged by nitrogen atoms of hydrazinediido groups.