The Intermetalloid Cluster Cation (CuBi8)3+

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

The reaction of Bi, BiCl3, and CuCl in the ionic liquid [BMIm]Cl⋅4 AlCl3 (BMIm=1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium) at 180 °C yielded air-sensitive shiny black crystals of (CuBi8)[AlCl4]2[Al2Cl7] and (CuBi8)[AlCl4]3. For both compounds X-ray diffraction on single crystals revealed monoclinic structures that contain the intermetalloid cluster (CuBi8)3+. It is the first pure bismuth cluster with a 3d metal and the first with a metal that does not form binary intermetallics with bismuth under ambient pressure. The cluster can be interpreted either as a copper(I) cation, η4-coordinated by a square-antiprismatic Bi82+ polycation (Bi−Cu 267 pm), or as a nine-atomic intermetalloid nido-cluster with 22 skeletal electrons and the C4v symmetry. One of the chloride ions of a tetrahedral [AlCl4] group coordinates the copper atom (Cu−Cl 228 pm) and thereby completes its 18 electron count. DFT-based calculations, followed by real-space bonding analysis, revealed a multicenter bonding situation between copper and bismuth atoms with about seven shared electrons.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)127-132
Number of pages6
JournalChemistry - A European Journal
Volume24
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - 2 Jan 2018
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

Scopus 85039918107
ORCID /0000-0001-7523-9313/work/142238604
ORCID /0000-0002-2391-6025/work/142250207
Scopus 85039914172
PubMed 28977714

Keywords

Keywords

  • bismuth, cluster compounds, coordination modes, copper, intermetalloid clusters