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Updated: Jul 17, 2026

Thermochemical Studies of Ni(II) and Zn(II) Ternary Complexes Using Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry
Published on: June 8, 2022
[Ni5Sb17]4- transition-metal Zintl ion complex: crossing the Zintl border in molecular intermetalloid clusters
Melanie J Moses1, James C Fettinger, Bryan W Eichhorn
1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
Abstract:
K3Sb7 and Ni(COD)2 react in the presence of 2,2,2-cryptand in ethylenediamine solutions ( approximately 1:8 Ni/Sb molar ratio) to give dark-brown crystals of the paramagnetic cluster anion [Ni5Sb17]4- as the [K(2,2,2-crypt)]+ salt. The cluster has a Ni(cyclo-Ni4Sb4) ring unit that sits inside a Sb13 bowl. The structure is similar to that of the previously reported [Pd7As16]4- ion containing a Pd(cyclo-Pd4As4) ring unit that sits inside a Pd2As12 bowl. Density functional theory and bond valence analyses suggest delocalized charge distributions and intermetallic-like properties.
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