On the nature of the transition metal-main group metal bond: synthesis and theoretical calculations on iridium gallyl complexes.

The iridum-gallyl complex MeIr(PCy(3))(2)(GaMe(2))(Cl*GaMe(3)) exhibits a short Ir-Ga bond length of 2.381(1)-2.389(2) Å. Theoretical calculations (ZORA BP86/TZ2P) support the presence of a Ir-Ga single bond but highlight a π orbital contribution.