Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 19, 2026

Discovery and Synthesis Optimization of Isoreticular Al(III) Phosphonate-Based Metal-Organic Framework Compounds Using High-Throughput Methods
Published on: October 6, 2023
Synthesis and structures of a pentanuclear Al(III) phosphonate cage, an In(III) phosphonate polymer, and coordination
Anne F Richards1, Christine M Beavers
1Department of Chemistry, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Sciences, Kingsbury Drive, Melbourne, Australia. a.richards@latrobe.edu.au
Abstract:
A cationic, pentanuclear aluminium phosphonate cage, [L(4)Al(5)Cl(6)(THF)(6)]Cl, 1, supported by (phthalimidomethyl) phosphonate, (L), has been synthesized and characterized. This polynuclear cage features the phosphonate ligand in an unusual coordination mode, supporting five aluminium atoms in two different environments. In comparison, the aqueous reaction of LH(2) with In(ClO(4))(3) afforded [{(LH)In(H(2)O)}(H(2)O)(2)(ClO(4))](n), 2, an indium(III) phosphonate coordination polymer, that has been crystallographically characterized. Reactions of the corresponding phosphonate ester, diethyl (phthalimidomethyl) phosphonate, (L'), with GaI(3) and InCl(3) afforded the simple coordination complexes, [L'·GaI(3)], 3, and [L'·InCl(3)(THF)], 4.
Related Concept Videos
Valence Bond Theory
Coordination Compounds and Nomenclature
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...
Predicting Molecular Geometry
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...
Stereoisomerism
Isomers are different chemical species that have the same chemical formula.
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...

