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Metallic Solids

Metallic Solids

Metallic solids such as crystals of copper, aluminum, and iron are formed by metal atoms. The structure of metallic crystals is often described as a uniform distribution of atomic nuclei within a “sea” of delocalized electrons. The atoms within such a metallic solid are held together by a unique force known as metallic bonding that gives rise to many useful and varied bulk properties.
All metallic solids exhibit high thermal and electrical conductivity, metallic luster, and malleability. Many...

Valence Bond Theory

Valence Bond Theory

Coordination compounds and complexes exhibit different colors, geometries, and magnetic behavior, depending on the metal atom/ion and ligands from which they are composed. In an attempt to explain the bonding and structure of coordination complexes, Linus Pauling proposed the valence bond theory, or VBT, using the concepts of hybridization and the overlapping of the atomic orbitals. According to VBT, the central metal atom or ion (Lewis acid) hybridizes to provide empty orbitals of suitable...

VSEPR Theory and the Basic Shapes

VSEPR Theory and the Basic Shapes

Overview of VSEPR Theory

Coordination Number and Geometry

Coordination Number and Geometry

For transition metal complexes, the coordination number determines the geometry around the central metal ion. Table 1 compares coordination numbers to molecular geometry. The most common structures of the complexes in coordination compounds are octahedral, tetrahedral, and square planar.

Crystal Field Theory - Tetrahedral and Square Planar Complexes

Crystal Field Theory - Tetrahedral and Square Planar Complexes

Tetrahedral 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,...

Ionic Crystal Structures

Ionic Crystal Structures

Ionic crystals consist of two or more different kinds of ions that usually have different sizes. The packing of these ions into a crystal structure is more complex than the packing of metal atoms that are the same size.
Most monatomic ions behave as charged spheres, and their attraction for ions of opposite charge is the same in every direction. Consequently, stable structures for ionic compounds result (1) when ions of one charge are surrounded by as many ions as possible of the opposite...

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Related Experiment Video

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The Synthesis of [Sn10(Si(SiMe3)3)4]2- Using a Metastable Sn(I) Halide Solution Synthesized via a Co-condensation Technique

The Synthesis of [Sn₁₀(Si(SiMe₃)₃)₄]²^- Using a Metastable Sn(I) Halide Solution Synthesized via a Co-condensation Technique

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A four-shell, 136-metal 3d-4f heterometallic cluster approximating a rectangular parallelepiped.

Xiang-Jian Kong¹, La-Sheng Long, Rong-Bin Huang

¹State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surface and Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China.

Chemical Communications (Cambridge, England)

|July 15, 2009

Summary

Researchers synthesized a novel nanosized heterometallic cluster with 60 lanthanum (La) and 76 nickel (Ni) ions. This unique, nest-like structure was formed using a controlled hydrolytic reaction with iminodiacetate.

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Synthesis of Single-Crystalline Core-Shell Metal-Organic Frameworks

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Area of Science:

Materials Science
Inorganic Chemistry
Nanotechnology

Background:

Heterometallic clusters are of interest for their unique structural and magnetic properties.
Controlling the assembly of metal ions in polynuclear complexes remains a challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

To synthesize and characterize a novel, large heterometallic cluster.
To explore the use of ancillary ligands in controlling hydrolysis and cluster formation.

Main Methods:

Hydrolytic reaction of a mixed lanthanum nitrate and nickel nitrate system.
Use of iminodiacetate as an ancillary ligand to direct the reaction pathway.

Main Results:

Successful synthesis of a nanosized heterometallic cluster.
The cluster contains 60 La(III) and 76 Ni(II) ions.
The ions are arranged in a four-shell, nest-like framework structure.

Conclusions:

Nanosized heterometallic clusters with complex architectures can be synthesized.
Ancillary ligands play a crucial role in controlling the formation of polynuclear metal complexes.