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Updated: Jul 10, 2026
12:21
Preparation of Monodomain Liquid Crystal Elastomers and Liquid Crystal Elastomer Nanocomposites
Published on: February 6, 2016
A linear homocatenated compound containing six indium centers
Michael S Hill1, Peter B Hitchcock, Ruti Pongtavornpinyo
1Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2AZ, UK. mike.hill@imperial.ac.uk
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|April 1, 2006
Summary
Researchers synthesized a unique hexa-indium chain, a rare feat for group 13 elements. This discovery challenges previous understandings of indium
Area of Science:
- Inorganic Chemistry
- Materials Science
Background:
- Group 13 elements, unlike carbon, rarely form linear chains.
- Catenation in heavier p-block elements is uncommon and synthetically challenging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize novel catenated structures of group 13 elements.
- To investigate the bonding and electronic properties of extended indium chains.
Main Methods:
- Reaction of indium(I) iodide with a protonated N-xylyl beta-diketiminate ligand and a potassium base in tetrahydrofuran.
- X-ray crystallography for structural determination.
- Electronic spectroscopy and computational modeling for electronic structure analysis.
Main Results:
- Successful synthesis of a linear hexa-indium chain complex.
- X-ray crystallography confirmed the structure with indium-indium single bonds and terminal iodine capping.
- Preliminary electronic data suggests sigma delocalization along the indium chain.
Conclusions:
- Demonstrated the feasibility of forming extended indium chains.
- The synthesized hexa-indium chain represents a significant advancement in p-block element chemistry.
- Further studies are warranted to fully elucidate the electronic delocalization and bonding characteristics.
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