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Updated: Jul 17, 2026

Design, Synthesis, and Photochemical Properties of Clickable Caged Compounds
Published on: October 15, 2019
Evolution of organo-cyanometallate cages: supramolecular architectures and new Cs+-specific receptors
Julie L Boyer1, Matthew L Kuhlman, Thomas B Rauchfuss
1Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA.
Abstract:
The ability of inorganic cyanometallate polymers to form interesting and useful complexes is well-known. This Account summarizes work, especially in our laboratories, aimed at replicating aspects of this inorganic chemistry in homogeneous solution using organometallic building blocks. A library of molecular organometallic cyanides and Lewis acids, with varying charges and labilities, are shown to give families of neutral and charged cages. Neutral and anionic cages, often molecular boxes, bind larger alkali metals tightly. Cubic frameworks show an unparalleled affinity for cesium cations over potassium cations. Noncubic cages are described including tetrahedranes, defect boxes, trigonal prisms, and hexagonal prisms.
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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.
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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.
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Transition metal complexes often exist as geometric isomers, in which the same atoms are connected through the same types of bonds but with differences in their orientation in space. Coordination complexes with two different ligands in the cis and trans positions from a ligand of interest form isomers. For example, the octahedral [Co(NH3)4Cl2]+ ion has two isomers (Figure 1) In the cis...