Described herein is a process for preparing inorganic metal-containing films including bringing a solid substrate in contact with a compound of general formula (I) or (II) in the gaseous state where A is NR2 or OR with R being an alkyl group, an alkenyl group, an aryl group, or a silyl group, E is NR or O, n is 1, 2 or 3, and R′ is hydrogen, an alkyl group, an alkenyl group, an aryl group, or a silyl group, wherein if n is 2 and E is NR or A is OR, at least one R in NR or OR bears no hydrogen atom in the 1-position.