Trichlorido(1,3-dimethyl-2,3-di-hydro-1H-imidazol-2-yl-idene-κC (2))aluminium(III).

The title compound, [Al(C5H8N2)Cl3], was prepared by a thermolytic decomposition under high-vacuum conditions and presents a formal adduct of an Arduengo carbene, 1,3-dimethyl-1H-imidazol-2-yl-idene, and aluminium trichloride. The Al atom adopts a pseudo-tetra-hedral CCl3 coordination environment. All N and C atoms, the Al atom, one of the Cl atoms, and all aromatic H atoms of the mol-ecule lie on a mirror plane. As a result of the mirror symmetry of the mol-ecule, the H atoms of all methyl groups are disordered between symmetry-equivalent positions.