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Updated: May 11, 2025

Construction and Systematical Symmetric Studies of a Series of Supramolecular Clusters with Binary or Ternary Ammonium Triphenylacetates
Published on: February 15, 2016
Neutral All-Metal σ-Aromaticity in a Rhombic Cluster
Pengfei Chen1, Yafei Li1, Jing Ma1
1State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Organic Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
Abstract:
Aromaticity is a cornerstone concept in chemistry, playing a crucial role in understanding molecular stability and reactivity. Traditionally, aromaticity has been primarily associated with cyclic planar conjugated organic molecules composed solely of carbon, but it has recently expanded to include metal-containing systems. However, metal-only aromatics remain extremely scarce. Here, we present the first neutral all-metal aromatic cluster with a rhombic geometry. X-ray crystallography reveals that the rhombic Al2Pd2 core is stabilized by an innovative double-layer N-P ligand framework, featuring essentially the same Al-Pd bond lengths (2.4706(4) and 2.4636(4) Å) and two planar tetracoordinate Al centers. Quantum chemical calculations provide compelling evidence for the two-electron σ-aromaticity in this molecule. Further research on the reactivity of the σ-aromatic Al2Pd2 cluster reveals that it can accept lone-pair electron coordination and act as a two-electron reducing agent. This study not only extends the concept of aromaticity to neutral all-metal rhombic systems but also opens new horizons for the synthesis and exploration of novel all-metal aromatic clusters.
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