Synthesis, Structure and Reactivity of Bismuth(III) and Aluminum(III) Complexes Supported by Nitrogen Donor Ligands

Abstract

bismuth in the vast majority of its compounds. However, a variety of organobismuth compounds can contain the element in the +5 oxidation state. Coordination numbers are 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. It is the heaviest member of group 15 and the heaviest stable element in the periodic table. Although it belongs to the group 15 family, the chemistry of bismuth differs considerably from that of other lighter members, such as phosphorus, arsenic and antimony.Elemental bismuth is inert in dry air at room temperature, but oxidizes slowly to become covered with a thin film of the oxide. Bismuth compounds are attracting increasing attention due to their application in heterogeneous catalysis, 1 catalysts for organic synthesis, 2 superconducting materials, 3 and also biological activity.Bismuth amides, Bi(NRR´) 3 , are a series of compounds that have covalent Bi-N bonds (R and R´ can be alkyl, aryl or silyl groups). These compounds can be promising precursors for bismuth oxide based materials 4,5 and have been used as precursors for metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) of bismuth-containing thin films due to their low M-N bond strength. 6 Relatively few bismuth amides with sterically crowded substituents are known. The