Reactivity of Lewis pairs (R2PCH2AlMe2)(2) with carbon dioxide

Species R2PCH2AlMe2 (R = Me, Ph) are stable Lewis adducts but still react with CO2 both in solution and in the solid state. The CO2 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 CO2.