Reactivity of Lewis pairs (R2PCH2AlMe2)2 with carbon dioxide

Species R(2)PCH(2)AlMe(2) (R = Me, Ph) are stable Lewis adducts but still react with CO(2) both in solution and in the solid state. The CO(2) adducts undergo a rearrangement unprecedented for ambiphilic molecules to form aluminium carboxylates. A new spirocyclic compound was also obtained by double Lewis pair activation of CO(2).