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Properties of Organometallic Compounds

Properties of Organometallic Compounds

Organometallic compounds are compounds that contain a carbon–metal bond. Carbon belongs to an organyl group like alkyl, aryl, allyl, or benzyl groups. The metal can be from Group I or Group II of the periodic table, a transition metal, or a semimetal.

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

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...

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...

Coordination Compounds and Nomenclature

Coordination Compounds and Nomenclature

In most main group element compounds, the valence electrons of the isolated atoms combine to form chemical bonds that satisfy the octet rule. For instance, the four valence electrons of carbon overlap with electrons from four hydrogen atoms to form CH4. The one valence electron leaves sodium and adds to the seven valence electrons of chlorine to form the ionic formula unit NaCl (Figure 1a). Transition metals do not normally bond in this fashion. They primarily form coordinate covalent bonds, a...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 31, 2026

Accessing Valuable Ligand Supports for Transition Metals: A Modified, Intermediate Scale Preparation of 1,2,3,4,5-Pentamethylcyclopentadiene

Accessing Valuable Ligand Supports for Transition Metals: A Modified, Intermediate Scale Preparation of 1,2,3,4,5-Pentamethylcyclopentadiene

Published on: March 20, 2017

C-C activation in the solid state in an organometallic σ-complex.

Adrian B Chaplin¹, Jennifer C Green, Andrew S Weller

¹Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QR, UK.

Journal of the American Chemical Society

|July 9, 2011

Summary

Researchers synthesized a novel iridium C-C sigma complex. This unique compound exhibits reversible C-C bond activation in the solid state, forming a temperature-dependent equilibrium between different iridium oxidation states.

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Published on: October 8, 2016

Area of Science:

Organometallic Chemistry
Coordination Chemistry
Solid-State Chemistry

Background:

Iridium complexes are crucial in catalysis and materials science.
Understanding C-C bond activation is key to developing new synthetic methodologies.
Previous studies have explored C-C bond interactions with transition metals, but reversible activation in the solid state remains a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

To report the synthesis of the first C-C sigma complex featuring iridium.
To investigate the unique solid-state behavior of this complex, specifically the reversible activation of a C-C single bond.
To elucidate the mechanism and thermodynamics of the observed equilibrium between different iridium oxidation states.

Main Methods:

Solid-state reaction synthesis of the iridium complex.
Variable-temperature X-ray diffraction to study structural changes.
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to monitor chemical transformations.
Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations to understand the electronic and energetic aspects of the reaction.

Main Results:

Successful synthesis of a novel iridium C-C sigma complex, [Ir(BINOR-S)(P(i)Pr(3))][BAr(F)(4)].
Demonstration of reversible C-C single bond activation in the solid state.
Establishment of a temperature-dependent equilibrium between Ir(III) C-C sigma and Ir(V) bis-alkyl complexes.

Conclusions:

The synthesized iridium complex represents a groundbreaking example of a C-C sigma complex with reversible solid-state activation.
The observed temperature-dependent equilibrium provides new insights into C-C bond activation mechanisms.
This discovery opens avenues for designing novel materials and catalytic systems based on dynamic metal-ligand interactions.