%0 Journal Article %T C(sp₃)-H bond activation with triel metals: indium and gallium zwitterions through internal hydride abstraction in rigid salan ligands. %+ Department of Electrical Engineering %+ Institut des Sciences Chimiques de Rennes (ISCR) %+ Laboratoire de physique et chimie des nano-objets (LPCNO) %A Maudoux, Nicolas %A Fang, Jian %A Roisnel, Thierry %A Dorcet, Vincent %A Maron, Laurent %A Carpentier, Jean-François %A Sarazin, Yann %< avec comité de lecture %@ 0947-6539 %J Chemistry - A European Journal %I Wiley-VCH Verlag %V 20 %N 25 %P 7706-17 %8 2014-06-16 %D 2014 %R 10.1002/chem.201402358 %M 24842493 %K C–H activation %K density functional calculations %K gallium %K hydride abstraction %K indium %K zwitterions %Z Chemical SciencesJournal articles %X The hydropyrimidine salan (salan=N,N'-dimethyl-N,N'-bis[(2-hydroxyphenyl)methylene]-1,2-diaminoethane) proteo-ligands with a rigid backbone {ON^(CH2)^NO}H2 react with M(CH2SiMe3)3 (M=Ga, In) to yield the zwitterions {ON^(CH(+))^NO}M(-)(CH2SiMe3)2 (M=Ga, 2; In, 3) by abstraction of a hydride from the ligand backbone followed by elimination of dihydrogen. By contrast, with Al2Me6, the neutral-at-metal bimetallic complex [{ON^(CH2)^NO}AlMe]2 ([1]2) is obtained quantitatively. The formation of indium zwitterions is also observed with sterically more encumbered ligands containing o-Me substituents on the phenolic rings, or an N (CHPh) N moiety in the heterocyclic core. Overall, the ease of C(sp3)-H bond activation follows the order Al≪Ga