Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 23, 2026

From Molecules to Materials: Engineering New Ionic Liquid Crystals Through Halogen Bonding
Published on: March 24, 2018
Metal-ion interactions with sugars. The crystal structure and FTIR study of an SrCl2-fructose complex
1Department of Chemistry, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, PR China.
Abstract:
The single-crystal structure of SrCl2 x 2C6H12O6 x 3H2O was determined with Mr = 572.88, a = 16.252, b = 7.941(2), c = 10.751(3) angstroms, beta = 127.652(4) degrees, V = 1098.5(6) angstroms3, C2, Z = 2, mu = 0.71073 angstroms and R = 0.0296 for 1998 observed reflections. The fructose moiety of the complex exists as a beta-d-pyranose. The strontium atom is surrounded by eight oxygen atoms, which are arranged in symmetry-related pairs that are derived from four sugar and two water molecules. Three nonvicinal hydroxyl groups of fructose are involved in strontium binding. All the hydroxyl groups and water molecules are involved in forming an extensive hydrogen-bond network. The Sr-fructose complex is isostructural with the Ca-fructose complex, and the crystal structures and FTIR spectra of the two complexes are compared in this article. The O-H, C-O, and C-O-H vibrations are shifted, and the relative intensities changed in the complexes IR spectra, which indicate sugar metalation. By studying the metal-binding properties of fructose, it is hoped that such would aid in the understanding of the structural chemistry of metal ions interacting with saccharides, as an actual biological system, and thereby aid in the interpretation of some particular biological processes.
Related Concept Videos
Structural Isomerism
Isomers are different chemical species that have the same chemical formula. Structural isomerism of coordination compounds can be divided into two subcategories, the linkage isomers and coordination-sphere isomers.
Linkage isomers occur when the coordination compound contains a ligand that can bind to the transition metal center through two different atoms. For example, the CN− ligand can bind through the carbon atom or through the nitrogen atom. Similarly, SCN− can be...
Crystal Field Theory - Octahedral Complexes
To explain the observed behavior of transition metal complexes (such as colors), a model involving electrostatic interactions between the electrons from the ligands and the electrons in the unhybridized d orbitals of the central metal atom has been developed. This electrostatic model is crystal field theory (CFT). It helps to understand, interpret, and predict the colors, magnetic behavior, and some structures of coordination compounds of transition metals.
CFT focuses on...
Crystal Field Theory - Tetrahedral and Square Planar Complexes
Crystal field theory (CFT) is applicable to molecules in geometries other than octahedral. In octahedral complexes, the lobes of the dx2−y2 and dz2 orbitals point directly at the ligands. For tetrahedral complexes, the d orbitals remain in place, but with only four ligands located between the axes. None of the orbitals points directly at the tetrahedral ligands. However, the dx2−y2 and dz2 orbitals (along the Cartesian axes) overlap with the ligands less than the dxy,...

