Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 21, 2026

Preparation of SNS CobaltII Pincer Model Complexes of Liver Alcohol Dehydrogenase
Published on: March 19, 2020
On the electronic structure and photochemistry of coordinatively unsaturated complexes: the case of nickel
Olaf Hübner1, Laurent Manceron, Hans-Jörg Himmel
1Anorganisch-Chemisches Institut, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 270, 69120 Heidelberg (Germany), Fax: (+49) 6221-545707.
Abstract:
The electronic ground and excited states of the coordinatively unsaturated complex Ni(η(1) -N2 )2 , isolated in an Ar matrix, are analyzed in detail by vibrational and electronic absorption and emission spectroscopies allied with quantum chemical calculations. The bond force constants are determined from a normal coordinate analysis and compared with those of the isoelectronic carbonyl complex. The consequences for the bond properties are discussed, and the trend in the force constants is compared with the standard formation enthalpies. The linear complex Ni(η(1) -N2 )2 with two terminal dinitrogen ligands can be photoisomerized to two isomeric, metastable forms Ni(η(1) -N2 )(η(2) -N2 ) and Ni(η(2) -N2 )2 , with one and two side-on coordinated dinitrogen ligands, respectively.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Valence Bond Theory
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...
Coordination Number and Geometry
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,...
Colors and Magnetism
When atoms or molecules absorb light at the proper frequency, their electrons are excited to higher-energy orbitals. For many main group atoms and molecules, the absorbed photons are in the ultraviolet range of the electromagnetic spectrum, which cannot be detected by the human eye. For coordination compounds, the energy difference between the d orbitals often allows photons in the visible range to be absorbed and emitted, which is seen as colors by the human...

