The gas phase association reactions of mixed-metal acetylacetonate complexes

Abstract

The gas phase association reaction of mixed-metal acetylacetonate (acac) and hexafluoroacetylacetonate (hfac) complexes were analyzed using a high resolution double focusing mass spectrometer under low source pressure conditions. The unimolecular dissociation reactions of a collection of metal acetylacetonate complexes were investigated. When ensuing association reactions of co-subliming mixtures Al(hfac)3, Ni(acac2, and Ni(hfac)2 were mixed with various complexes, many of the observed mixed-metal association products detected have the arrangement MM'LnL'm where M is Li, Al, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Fe Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Cd or Rh, M' is Al or Ni, L is acetylacetonate (acac), L' is hexafluoracetylacetonate (hfac), and (n+m) is 2-5. Manganese tris(hexafluoroacetylacetonate) was successfully synthesized and matched with the crystal structure reported in the literature. The crystal structure of aluminum tris(hexafluoroacetylacetonate), Al(hfac)3, is presented for the first time.