The subject of the invention is accordingly a process for the manufacture of organic alkali complex compounds of aluminum and/ or boron of the general formula Me[ZR R] in which Me stands for alkali metal, especially sodium, potassium or lithium, Z stands for boron or aluminum, and R and R stand for alkyl radicals or, if desired, one or more of the radicals R, is the radical OR (R=alkyl, cycloalk