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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: 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...

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.

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...

Structural Isomerism

Structural Isomerism

Isomerism in Complexes
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...

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Updated: Feb 24, 2026

Synthesis of a Water-soluble Metal–Organic Complex Array

Synthesis of a Water-soluble Metal–Organic Complex Array

Published on: October 8, 2016

Defined tetranuclear coinage metal chains.

Christoph Kaub¹, Sergei Lebedkin, Sebastian Bestgen

¹Institute of Inorganic Chemistry Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Engesserstraße 15, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany. roesky@kit.edu.

Chemical Communications (Cambridge, England)

|August 16, 2017

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers created novel tetranuclear metal complexes using a unique ligand. These gold/copper and gold/silver compounds exhibit unusual V-shaped or linear structures and altered photophysical properties based on metal ion inclusion.

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Synthesis of a Water-soluble Metal–Organic Complex Array

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Preparation of SNS CobaltII Pincer Model Complexes of Liver Alcohol Dehydrogenase

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Structure and Coordination Determination of Peptide-metal Complexes Using 1D and 2D 1H NMR

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Published on: December 16, 2013

Area of Science:

Coordination Chemistry
Supramolecular Chemistry
Materials Science

Background:

Designing complex molecular architectures requires precise control over metal ion placement.
N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) and bipyridine units are versatile ligands in coordination chemistry.

Purpose of the Study:

To synthesize novel heterometallic coinage metal complexes with defined structures.
To investigate the structural and photophysical properties of these new complexes.

Main Methods:

Synthesis of a novel ligand featuring two NHC moieties bridged by a methylene group and functionalized with bipyridine units.
Formation of tetranuclear heterodimetallic complexes using gold, copper, and silver.
Structural characterization using X-ray crystallography.
Photophysical property analysis.

Main Results:

Successful synthesis of tetranuclear heterodimetallic gold/copper and gold/silver complexes.
Observation of unprecedented V-shape or linear MAu2M (M = Cu, Ag) configurations in the solid state.
Demonstration that complexed metal ions significantly influence the photophysical properties of the resulting compounds.

Conclusions:

The designed ligand effectively directs metal ions into specific compartments, enabling the formation of complex multinuclear structures.
The observed structural diversity (V-shape vs. linear) offers new possibilities for molecular design.
The significant impact of metal ions on photophysical properties highlights the potential of these complexes for applications in materials science, particularly in luminescence and sensing.