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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...

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...

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...

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.

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...

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 4, 2026

Author Spotlight: Experimental Approaches for the Synthesis of Low-Valent Metal-Organic Frameworks from Multitopic Phosphine Linkers

Author Spotlight: Experimental Approaches for the Synthesis of Low-Valent Metal-Organic Frameworks from Multitopic Phosphine Linkers

Published on: May 12, 2023

Well-defined, nanometer-sized LiH cluster compounds stabilized by pyrazolate ligands.

Andreas Stasch¹

¹School of Chemistry, Monash University, PO Box 23, Melbourne, VIC, 3800 (Australia). Andreas.Stasch@monash.edu.

Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English)

|December 17, 2013

Summary

Researchers synthesized novel lithium hydride clusters using a bottom-up approach. These nanometer-scale compounds show promise for applications in synthesis, catalysis, and hydrogen storage.

Keywords:

cluster compounds hydrides hydrogen storage materials lithium pyrazolate ligands

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Last Updated: May 4, 2026

Author Spotlight: Experimental Approaches for the Synthesis of Low-Valent Metal-Organic Frameworks from Multitopic Phosphine Linkers

Author Spotlight: Experimental Approaches for the Synthesis of Low-Valent Metal-Organic Frameworks from Multitopic Phosphine Linkers

Published on: May 12, 2023

Ligand Nano-cluster Arrays in a Supported Lipid Bilayer

Ligand Nano-cluster Arrays in a Supported Lipid Bilayer

Published on: April 23, 2017

Author Spotlight: Functionalizing Metal-Organic Frameworks: Advancements, Challenges, and the Power of Post-Synthetic Ligand Exchange

Author Spotlight: Functionalizing Metal-Organic Frameworks: Advancements, Challenges, and the Power of Post-Synthetic Ligand Exchange

Published on: June 23, 2023

Area of Science:

Inorganic Chemistry
Materials Science
Nanotechnology

Background:

The synthesis of well-defined, large cluster compounds of ionic light metal hydrides presents a significant challenge.
These materials are crucial for applications in chemical synthesis, catalysis, and hydrogen storage.

Purpose of the Study:

To report the synthesis and characterization of neutral and anionic pyrazolate-stabilized lithium hydride clusters.
To explore clusters with inorganic cores in the nanometer size range.

Main Methods:

A bottom-up synthetic strategy was employed using alkyl lithium and lithium pyrazolate mixtures with silanes in hydrocarbon solutions.
Structural characterization was performed using synchrotron radiation.

Main Results:

Isolated cubic clusters containing up to 37 Li(+) cations and 26 H(-) ions were successfully synthesized.
Substituted pyrazolate ligands were observed to occupy specific positions within the cluster structures (corners and edges).

Conclusions:

The study demonstrates a viable method for constructing complex lithium hydride clusters.
These pyrazolate-stabilized clusters represent a new class of nanomaterials with potential applications in catalysis and hydrogen storage.