Amidinates, guanidinates and iminopyrrolidinates: Understanding precursor thermolysis to design a better ligand

The thermolysis of metal compounds incorporating amidinate-type ligands (RN(H)C(X)NR, where R is any alkyl and X is an alkyl or an amido) show a great complexity and diversity. Amidinates and guanidinates of copper(I), aluminium(III) and gallium(III) can undergo thermal decomposition by two main routes: elimination of carbodiimide (here called "deinsertion") and by abstraction of a β-hydrogen. In general terms carbodiimide deinsertion tends to be a low temperature and solution-based thermolysis route, and β-hydrogen elimination tends to be a high temperature and gas phase thermolysis path. Th