Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Thermochemical Studies of Ni(II) and Zn(II) Ternary Complexes Using Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry
Published on: June 8, 2022
Structural transformations in dinuclear zinc complexes involving Zn-Zn bonds
Yi-Chou Tsai1, Duan-Yen Lu, Yang-Miin Lin
1Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan, R.O.C. yictsai@mx.nthu.edu.tw
The reduction of a zinc complex with KC(8) led to a new structure with a zinc-zinc bond. Computational studies revealed the mechanism behind this transformation and zinc-zinc bond formation.
Area of Science:
- Organometallic Chemistry
- Inorganic Chemistry
- Computational Chemistry
Background:
- The study investigates the reactivity of low-valent main group element compounds.
- Exploring the synthesis and structural characterization of novel metal-metal bonds is a key area in inorganic chemistry.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the structural transformation of a specific zinc complex upon reduction.
- To elucidate the mechanism of zinc-zinc bond formation using computational methods.
Main Methods:
- Chemical reduction using potassium graphite (KC(8)).
- X-ray crystallography for structural determination.
- Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations for mechanistic studies.
Main Results:
- Reduction of Zn(2)(mu-eta(2)-Me(2)Si(NDipp)(2))(2) with KC(8) yielded a novel structure with a Zn-Zn single bond: [(eta(2)-Me(2)Si(NDipp)(2))ZnZn(eta(2)-Me(2)Si(NDipp)(2))](2-).
- The intermediate [Zn(2)(mu-eta(2)-Me(2)Si(NDipp)(2))(2)](-) was identified.
- Computational analysis confirmed the mechanism of structural transformation driven by Zn-Zn bond formation.
Conclusions:
- The formation of a direct zinc-zinc bond is achievable through reductive methods.
- Computational chemistry provides crucial insights into reaction mechanisms involving novel bonding types.
- This work expands the understanding of low-coordinate zinc species and their reactivity.
Related Concept Videos
Coordination Number and Geometry
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,...
Ladder Diagrams: Complexation Equilibria
The formation constant, K1, for the formation of Cd(NH3)2+ complex from cadmium and ammonia is 3.55 × 102. Log K1 (i.e. pNH3) is 2.55, and...
Valence Bond Theory
Metal-Ligand Bonds
In these complexes, transition metals form coordinate covalent bonds, a kind of Lewis acid-base interaction in which both of the electrons in the bond are contributed by a donor (Lewis base) to an electron acceptor (Lewis acid). The Lewis acid in...
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...

