Presented by: Matthew P.Blake
Research Leader: Prof. Philip Mountford
Published: Journal of the American Chemical Society
Metal-metal bonded molecular compounds have been an essential part of development in inorganic chemistry for decades; research has been reenergized by the discovery of the first Cr-Cr quintuple-, Zn-Zn single- and Mg-Mg single bonds. However, within this rich and topical area, there remains very little experimental or theoretical information regarding bonds between alkaline earth elements and transition metals. While bonds between calcium and main group metals (Ga, Sn) have been reported, the bonding of calcium with a transition metal had not been studied. Reaction of calcium amalgam with [CpFe(CO)2]2 (Fp2) gave the alkaline earth compound [CaFp2(THF)3]2containing two direct Ca–Fe (3.0185(6) Å) bonds.
Structure of the Month - November 2011