[Al3(μ3-O)(μ-O2CCF3)6(THF)3][(Me3Si)3CAl(OC(O)CF3)3]·C7H8 is the first characterized μ3-oxo-trinuclear basic carboxylate of aluminum closing the gap of isomorphism with the transition metal analogues. The system is an excellent case study for the electronic structure, approached by DFT-B3LYP calculations. The actual system proves that the oxo-trinuclear pattern is stabilized by the chemical hardness of oxygen donors and by highly symmetric intramolecular packing of the ligands.
