Trapping an unusual pentacoordinate carbon atom in a neutral trialuminum complex

Chem Commun (Camb). 2021 Oct 7;57(80):10327-10330. doi: 10.1039/d1cc04265c.

Abstract

A neutral trialuminum complex incorporates a pentacoordinate carbon through a methylidene bridge linking the three metal atoms. The rigid electron-deficient Al3 core stabilizes the hypercoordinate carbon atom resulting in the shortest equatorial Al-C distance reported for such an Al3-(μ3-CH2) unit.