Gallium trihalides pyridine adducts

Pyridine readily forms stable coordination compounds. Thus, boron, aluminum and gallium trihalides react at 0°C in an inert solvent to give 1 1 adducts (cf. 85). Steric factors are important, and a-substituents decrease the ease of reaction. This is illustrated by the heats of reaction of pyridine, 2-methylpyridine and 2,6-dimethylpyridine with boron trifluoride which are 101.3, 94.1 and 73.2 kJ mol-1, respectively. The marked decrease in exothermicity here should be contrasted with the small steric requirement of the proton as shown by the pA., values of substituted pyridines (see Section 3.2.1.3.4). 

The formation of molecular complexes between aluminum trihalides and pyridine or alkylpyridines has been the subject of systematic studies.35,36 Calorimetric data yield bond dissociation energies D(X3Al—py) of 323, 308 and 264 kJ mol-1 for X = C1, Br and I, respectively, and this same order is found for alkylpyridine adducts, although the A1—N bond is weakened in the case of lutidine by the effects of steric hindrance. For gallium halides the values of D(X3M—py) are smaller 248, 237 and 195 kJ mol-1 for chloride, bromide and iodide adducts, respectively. 

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