Binding electron pairs

Clusters derived from metals which have only a few valence electrons can relieve their electron deficit by incorporating atoms inside. This is an option especially for octahedral clusters which are able to enclose a binding electron pair anyway. The interstitial atom usually contributes all of its valence electrons to the electron balance. Nonmetal atoms such as H, B, C, N, and Si as well as metal atoms such as Be, Al, Mn, Fe, Co, and Ir have been found as interstitial atoms. 

The precise mechanism of fluorine transfer from AcOF to the aromatic compound in these reactions is still a controvertial issue, although in all cases the initially formed moiety is probably the same 7i-cation complex. Three reasonable routes leading to this complex should be considered (equation 14) (1) The aromatic n electrons simply act like a base to abstract F+ which leaves its binding electron pair with OAc (as OAc) (2) the... 

Is 11 to be described as a closo cluster with 6 cluster binding electron pairs, and 12 with only 5 cluster binding electron pairs as a hypercloso cluster DFT calculations on various trigonal-bipyramidal cage compounds favor the closo description of 11 (Scheme 3). This is also supported by the results of a formal two electron reduction of 12, which results in a closo structure, too. 

In a complexation reaction, the reaction unit is an electron pair. For the metal, the number of reaction units is the number of coordination sites available for binding ligands. For the ligand, the number of reaction units is equivalent to the number of electron pairs that can be donated to the metal. One of the most important analytical complexation reactions is that between the ligand ethylenediaminetetracetic acid (EDTA), which can donate 6 electron pairs and 6 coordinate metal ions, such as Cu thus... 

The molecular orbital theory of polyatomic molecules follows the same principles as those outlined for diatomic molecules, but the molecular orbitals spread over all the atoms in the molecule. An electron pair in a bonding orbital helps to bind together the whole molecule, not just an individual pair of atoms. The energies of molecular orbitals in polyatomic molecules can be studied experimentally by using ultraviolet and visible spectroscopy (see Major Technique 2, following this chapter). 

The boranes are electron-deficient compounds (Section 3.8) we cannot write valid Lewis structures for them, because too few electrons are available. For instance, there are 8 atoms in diborane, so we need at least 7 bonds however, there are only 12 valence electrons, and so we can form at most 6 electron-pair bonds. In molecular orbital theory, these electron pairs are regarded as delocalized over the entire molecule, and their bonding power is shared by several atoms. In diborane, for instance, a single electron pair is delocalized over a B—H—B unit. It binds all three atoms together with bond order of 4 for each of the B—H bridging bonds. The molecule has two such bridging three-center bonds (9). 

Perhaps the greatest area in which the Lewis acid-base approach is most useful is that of coordination chemistry. In the formation of coordination compounds, Lewis acids such as Cr3+, Co3+, Pt2+, or Ag+ bind to a certain number (usually 2, 4, or 6) of groups as a result of electron pair donation and acceptance. Typical electron pair donors include H20, NH3, F , CN , and many other molecules and ions. The products, known as coordination compounds or coordination complexes, have definite structures that are predictable in terms of principles of bonding. Because of the importance of this area of inorganic chemistry, Chapters 16 through 22 in this book are devoted to coordination chemistry. 

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