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Metal-Ligand Bonds

Metal-Ligand Bonds

The hemoglobin in the blood, the chlorophyll in green plants, vitamin B-12, and the catalyst used in the manufacture of polyethylene all contain coordination compounds. Ions of the metals, especially the transition metals, are likely to form complexes.
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...

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...

Valence Bond Theory

Valence Bond Theory

Overview of Valence Bond Theory

Complexation Equilibria: Factors Influencing Stability of Complexes

Complexation Equilibria: Factors Influencing Stability of Complexes

In complexation reactions, metal cations are the electron pair acceptors, and the ligands are the electron pair donors. The stability of the metal complexes depends primarily on the complexing ability of the central metal ion and the nature of the ligands. Generally, the complexing ability of the metal ion depends on the size and charge of the ion. As the metal ion size increases, the stability of the metal complexes decreases, provided that the valency of the metal ion and the ligands remain...

Complexation Equilibria: The Chelate Effect

Complexation Equilibria: The Chelate Effect

In complexation reactions, metal atoms or cations interact with ligands to form donor-acceptor adducts called metal complexes. Ligands that bind through one donor site are monodentate, ligands with two donor sites are bidentate, and those with more than two donor sites are polydentate ligands. For example, ethylene diamine is a bidentate ligand that binds through two nitrogen donor atoms, forming a five-membered ring. EDTA is a polydentate ligand that binds through four oxygen and two nitrogen...

Crystal Field Theory - Octahedral Complexes

Crystal Field Theory - Octahedral Complexes

Crystal Field Theory
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.
CFT focuses on...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 16, 2026

U2O5 Film Preparation via UO2 Deposition by Direct Current Sputtering and Successive Oxidation and Reduction with Atomic Oxygen and Atomic Hydrogen

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Metal-ligand multiple bonding in uranium: structure and reactivity.

Trevor W Hayton¹

¹Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA. hayton@chem.ucsb.edu

Dalton Transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)

|January 28, 2010

Summary

Recent advances in uranium coordination chemistry include novel oxo, imido, mu-nitrido, and carbene complexes. This review highlights synthesis, structure, and reactivity, focusing on bis(imido) uranyl analogues and mu-nitrido uranium complexes.

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Area of Science:

Inorganic Chemistry
Organometallic Chemistry
Uranium Coordination Chemistry

Background:

Growing interest in uranium coordination chemistry, especially metal-ligand multiple bonding.
Significant progress in synthesizing uranium complexes with oxo, imido, mu-nitrido, and carbene ligands over the past decade.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the synthesis, structure, and reactivity of uranium coordination complexes.
To focus on recent developments, including bis(imido) analogues of the uranyl ion and mu-nitrido uranium complexes.

Main Methods:

Literature review of uranium coordination chemistry.
Analysis of synthetic routes, structural characterization, and reactivity studies.
Focus on complexes containing oxo, imido, mu-nitrido, and carbene ligands.

Main Results:

Summarizes the historical development of the field since 1981.
Details the synthesis and structural features of various uranium complexes.
Highlights recent breakthroughs, including bis(imido) uranyl analogues and the first mu-nitrido uranium complexes.

Conclusions:

Significant advancements have been made in uranium coordination chemistry.
Novel complexes with diverse ligand environments (oxo, imido, mu-nitrido, carbene) have been synthesized and characterized.
Recent developments expand the understanding of uranium's coordination behavior and reactivity.