Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Radicals: Electronic Structure and Geometry01:07

Radicals: Electronic Structure and Geometry

4.9K
This lesson delves into the geometry of a radical, which is influenced by the electronic structure of the molecule. The principle is similar to that of a lone pair, where the unpaired electron influences the geometry at the radical center.
Accordingly, the structure of a trivalent radical lies between the geometries of carbocations and carbanions. An sp2-hybridized carbocation is trigonal planar, while an sp3-hybridized carbanion is trigonal pyramidal. Here, the difference in geometry is...
4.9K
Predicting Molecular Geometry02:27

Predicting Molecular Geometry

44.7K
VSEPR Theory for Determination of Electron Pair Geometries
44.7K
Crystal Field Theory - Tetrahedral and Square Planar Complexes02:46

Crystal Field Theory - Tetrahedral and Square Planar Complexes

48.1K
Tetrahedral Complexes
Crystal field theory (CFT) is applicable to molecules in geometries other than octahedral. In octahedral complexes, the lobes of the dx2−y2 and dz2 orbitals point directly at the ligands. For tetrahedral complexes, the d orbitals remain in place, but with only four ligands located between the axes. None of the orbitals points directly at the tetrahedral ligands. However, the dx2−y2 and dz2 orbitals (along the Cartesian axes) overlap with the ligands less than the dxy,...
48.1K
Chair Conformation of Cyclohexane02:02

Chair Conformation of Cyclohexane

17.9K
The chair conformation is the most stable form of cyclohexane due to the absence of angle and torsional strain. The absence of angle strain is a result of cyclohexane’s bond angle being very close to the ideal tetrahedral bond angle of 109.5° in its chair conformer. Similarly, the torsional strain is also absent owing to the perfectly staggered arrangement of bonds.
The hydrogen atoms linked to carbons are arranged in two different axial and equatorial orientations to achieve this...
17.9K
Conformations of Cyclohexane02:11

Conformations of Cyclohexane

15.1K
Cyclohexane does not exist in a planar form due to the high angle and torsional strain it would experience in the planar structure. Instead, it adopts non-planar chair and boat conformations.
The chair form is the most stable and derives its name from its resemblance to the “easy chair.” In the chair conformation, two carbon atoms are arranged out-of-plane — one above and one below, minimizing the torsional strain. In the chair form, the bond angle is very close to the ideal...
15.1K
VSEPR Theory and the Basic Shapes02:52

VSEPR Theory and the Basic Shapes

82.9K
Overview of VSEPR Theory
82.9K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Triple Pancake Bonding in Neutral π-Conjugated Dimers: a Computational Study.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026
Same author

Planar tetracoordinate carbon with triple CC bonding in C<sub>2</sub>Li<sub>3</sub>H and C<sub>2</sub>Li<sub>4</sub>H<sub>2</sub> clusters.

Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP·2026
Same author

Ionic modulation of the charge transfer transitions in host-guest complexes of carbon nanorings and fullerenes.

The Journal of chemical physics·2026
Same author

A Borane Sandwich Analogue of Ferrocene.

Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)·2026
Same author

Ligand rigidity as a design principle for planar pentacoordinate fluorine.

Chemical communications (Cambridge, England)·2026
Same author

A C≡C Triple Bond as a Structural Anchor of Planar Pentacoordinate Carbon.

The journal of physical chemistry. A·2026
Same journal

Anharmonic phonons via quantum thermal bath simulations.

The Journal of chemical physics·2026
Same journal

Quantum simulation of alignment dependent differential cross sections in co-propagating molecular beams at cold collision energies.

The Journal of chemical physics·2026
Same journal

Non-additive ion effects on the coil-globule equilibrium of a generic polymer in aqueous salt solutions.

The Journal of chemical physics·2026
Same journal

Insights into the unexpected small reduction of the temperature of maximum density of water by lithium chloride addition.

The Journal of chemical physics·2026
Same journal

Optical frequency comb double-resonance spectroscopy of the 9030-9175 cm-1 states of ethylene.

The Journal of chemical physics·2026
Same journal

Time reversal breaking of colloidal particles in cells.

The Journal of chemical physics·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 13, 2026

Construction and Systematical Symmetric Studies of a Series of Supramolecular Clusters with Binary or Ternary Ammonium Triphenylacetates
06:35

Construction and Systematical Symmetric Studies of a Series of Supramolecular Clusters with Binary or Ternary Ammonium Triphenylacetates

Published on: February 15, 2016

8.5K

The simplest planar tetracoordinate carbon: CLi3H.

Chagan Dari1, Guang-Ren Na1, Li-Juan Cui1

  • 1Institute of Atomic and Molecular Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130023, China.

The Journal of Chemical Physics
|January 9, 2026
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers discovered the first planar tetracoordinate carbon (ptC) in CLi3H+. This unique structure, stabilized by direct carbon ligand interactions, represents a new bonding motif in cluster chemistry.

More Related Videos

Preparation of a Corannulene-functionalized Hexahelicene by CopperI-catalyzed Alkyne-azide Cycloaddition of Nonplanar Polyaromatic Units
09:35

Preparation of a Corannulene-functionalized Hexahelicene by CopperI-catalyzed Alkyne-azide Cycloaddition of Nonplanar Polyaromatic Units

Published on: September 18, 2016

12.1K
Interactive Molecular Model Assembly with 3D Printing
06:15

Interactive Molecular Model Assembly with 3D Printing

Published on: August 13, 2020

10.8K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 13, 2026

Construction and Systematical Symmetric Studies of a Series of Supramolecular Clusters with Binary or Ternary Ammonium Triphenylacetates
06:35

Construction and Systematical Symmetric Studies of a Series of Supramolecular Clusters with Binary or Ternary Ammonium Triphenylacetates

Published on: February 15, 2016

8.5K
Preparation of a Corannulene-functionalized Hexahelicene by CopperI-catalyzed Alkyne-azide Cycloaddition of Nonplanar Polyaromatic Units
09:35

Preparation of a Corannulene-functionalized Hexahelicene by CopperI-catalyzed Alkyne-azide Cycloaddition of Nonplanar Polyaromatic Units

Published on: September 18, 2016

12.1K
Interactive Molecular Model Assembly with 3D Printing
06:15

Interactive Molecular Model Assembly with 3D Printing

Published on: August 13, 2020

10.8K

Area of Science:

  • Quantum Chemistry
  • Computational Chemistry
  • Cluster Science

Background:

  • Planar hypercoordinate atoms are rare and intriguing.
  • Previous examples lacked distinct electronic stabilization mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To report the first instance of a planar tetracoordinate carbon (ptC).
  • To elucidate the electronic stabilization mechanism of this novel structure.

Main Methods:

  • Computational modeling and electronic structure calculations.
  • Potential energy surface scans to identify the global minimum.

Main Results:

  • Identified a stable C2v structure for CLi3H+ featuring a ptC.
  • The ptC is bonded to one hydrogen and three lithium atoms.
  • Stabilization is solely due to direct carbon-ligand interactions, not ligand-ligand bonding.

Conclusions:

  • CLi3H+ represents the smallest known electron-deficient planar hypercoordinate species.
  • This discovery reveals a novel bonding motif in cluster chemistry.
  • The unique electronic configuration of the ptC (2s22pσ12pπ22pπ'1) is key to its stability.