This paper is dedicated to Professor Ronald J . Gillespie on the occasion of his 65th birthday THEODORE A. ANNAN and DENNIS G. TUCK. Can. J. Chem. 67, 1807Chem. 67, (1989. Tin reacts with tetrahalogeno-o-benzoquinones X4C6O2 (X = C1, Br) in refluxing toluene to give the tin(1V) catecholato species Sn(02C6X4)2, and neutral and anionic derivatives have also been obtained. A mixture of Sn + X4C602-o + 12 + I, 10-phenanthroline (phen) yields SnIz(02C6X4)phen. With gallium or indium (= M), the corresponding experiments give derivatives of M" (e.g., [M(OzC6X4)phen]2), or M"' (e.g., MI(02C6X4)phen). Intermediate paramagnetic species were detected in the case of In/Cl4C602-0/;12, and a reaction mechanism involving one-electron transfer processes is proposed on the basis of these results. Solvated crystals of the compound InC1(02C6C14)(C6H7N)3 were obtained from CH2C12 solution, and the structure of this molecule has been determined by X-ray crystallographic methods.Key words: gallium, indium, tin, benzoquinones, oxidation. phCnanthroline-l,l0 (phen) fournit du Sn12(02C6X4)phen. Lorsqu'on rtalise la m&me experience avec du gallium ou de l'indium (= M), on obtient les derives correspondants du M" (e.g., le [M(02C6X4)phen]2) ou du M"' (e.g., MI(O2C6X4)phen). Dans le cas de la reaction du Inlo-CI4C6O2/iI2, on a detect6 la presence d'intermkdiaires paramagnttiques et, sur la base de ces resultats, on propose un mecanisme rtactionnel impliquant des processus de transfer-par un tlectron. En utilisant une solution de CH2C12, on a isole des cristaux solvatCs du InC1(02C6C14)(C6H7N)3 et, faisant appel a des mCthodes de diffraction des rayons-X, on a dttermint la structure de cette moltcule.