Gallium alkoxides: Synthesis and properties

Compounds Ga(OR)3 (R = Me, Et, Pri, Bun, C2H4OMe) were synthesized by exchange reactions between gallium chloride and alkali metal alkoxides, the reetherefication of Ga(OPri)3 and Ga(OC2H4OMe)3 by other ROH (R = Me, Et), and anodic dissolution of metallic gallium in the presence of a electroconductive additive (LiCl, Bu4NBr). When solid GaCl3 is introduced into an alcoholic solution of NaOEt, stable soluble gallium oxoalkoxyhalides are formed. The same reaction with a GaCl3 solution in toluene or electrochemical synthesis produces nonvolatile Ga(OEt)3 samples, which have the polymer zigzag configuration [Ga(OR)4/2(OR)]∞. Mass spectrometry shows that only Ga(OPri)3 and freshly prepared X-ray amorphous Ga(OEt)3 samples (produced by reetherefication) are transferred to the gas phase. The spectra of the latter contain ions generated by penta-and hexanuclear oxoalkoxide molecules, along with fragments of orthospecies [Ga(OEt)3]2−4. IR spectra are described for all compounds synthesized.