Formation of a Strong Heterogeneous Aluminum Lewis Acid on Silica

Abstract

Al(OC(CF3)3)(PhF) reacts with silanols present on partially dehydroxylated silica to form well‐defined ≡SiOAl(OC(CF3)3)2(O(Si≡)2) (1). 27Al NMR and DFT calculations with a small cluster model to approximate the silica surface show that the aluminum in 1 adopts a distorted trigonal bipyramidal coordination geometry by coordinating to a nearby siloxane bridge and a fluorine from the alkoxide. Fluoride ion affinity (FIA) calculations follow experimental trends and show that 1 is a stronger Lewis acid than B(C6F5)3 and Al(OC(CF3)3)(PhF) but is weaker than Al(OC(CF3)3) and iPr3Si+. Cp2Zr(CH3)2 reacts with 1 to form [Cp2ZrCH3][≡SiOAl(OC(CF3)3)2(CH3)] (3) by methide abstraction. This reactivity pattern is similar to reactions of organometallics with the proposed strong Lewis acid sites present on Al2O3.