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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...

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...

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...

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.

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...

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Updated: Oct 31, 2025

Palladium N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes: Synthesis from Benzimidazolium Salts and Catalytic Activity in Carbon-carbon Bond-forming Reactions

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Published on: July 30, 2017

Group 11 m-Terphenyl Complexes Featuring Metallophilic Interactions.

Yu Liu¹, Laurence J Taylor¹, Stephen P Argent¹

¹School of Chemistry, University Park, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, U.K.

Inorganic Chemistry

|July 1, 2021

Summary

New copper, silver, and gold terphenyl complexes were synthesized and found to form dimers with short metal-metal bonds, indicating metallophilic interactions. These dimeric structures were confirmed in solution using NMR spectroscopy.

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Published on: May 12, 2023

Area of Science:

Organometallic Chemistry
Inorganic Synthesis
Materials Science

Background:

Group 11 metals (copper, silver, gold) are known for their diverse coordination chemistry.
Terphenyl ligands offer steric bulk and electronic tunability in organometallic complexes.
Metallophilic interactions are attractive non-covalent forces between metal centers.

Purpose of the Study:

To synthesize novel group 11 metal-terphenyl complexes.
To investigate the structural and bonding properties of these complexes, particularly metal-metal interactions.
To explore the stability and solution behavior of the synthesized compounds.

Main Methods:

Synthesis of metal-terphenyl complexes via metathesis reactions from iron precursors.
Solid-state structural characterization (implied by 'dimeric in the solid state').
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, including diffusion-ordered spectroscopy (DOSY), to study solution behavior.
Computational analysis: Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules (QTAIM) and energy decomposition analysis (EDA) using natural orbitals for chemical valence.

Main Results:

Successful synthesis of dimeric copper, silver, and gold complexes with bulky terphenyl ligands.
Observation of short metal-metal distances indicative of metallophilic interactions in the solid state.
NMR data confirmed the dimeric nature of copper and silver complexes in solution (benzene-d6).
The gold complex exhibited instability in solution, yielding low product amounts.

Conclusions:

Bulky terphenyl ligands facilitate the formation of dimeric group 11 metal complexes.
Short metal-metal distances in these complexes arise from significant metallophilic interactions.
The stability of these dimeric complexes is metal- and ligand-dependent, with gold complexes being less stable.