Bond/bonding inorganic molecules

Some inorganic molecules containing metal-oxygen bonds have unusual properties (Scheme 11). In disiloxane, Si-O-Si angles between the single bonds are wider than those of ethers. The bond angle is 144.1° for HjSi-O-SiHj [127] and 111.5° for H3C-O-CH3 [128]. The Si-Si bond distance in the three-membered... 

Sharpe, A. G. (1992). Inorganic Chemistry, 3rd ed. Longman, New York. Excellent coverage of bonding concepts in inorganic molecules. 

In order to understand the basic aspects of an electrochemical investigation on inorganic molecules (in its widest meaning, of any molecule which contains at least one metal centre) it must be taken into account that in these molecules the metal-ligand bonds are prevailingly covalent type. Since electrochemical techniques allow one to add or remove electrons in a controlled manner, it is conceivable that the addition or removal of electrons inside these molecules can lead to the formation of new bonds or to the breakage of existing bonds. 

The question might be asked Are there similar mechanisms for changing the configuration of molecules without breaking bonds in molecules with coordination numbers other than 3 and 5 The answer is yes. One of the most important series of inorganic compounds consists of six-coordinate chelate compounds exemplified by the tris(ethylenediamine)cobalt(lIl) ion. Because of the presence of the three chelate rings, the ion is chiral and racemization can take place by a mechanism that is closely related to atomic inversion or Berry pseudorotaiion (the mechanism for six-coordination is termed the Bailar twist see Chapter 13k... 

It has been shown8, however, that this shortening need not necessarily be attributed to double bond formation. We hope to come to some conclusion concerning the bonding in inorganic molecules from molecular orbital calculations which can be checked against the observed spectra. 

Clusters are polyhedral arrangements of atoms, e.g., P4 (Pb5)2- Many rings and clusters, can not be understood within two centre two electron bond. For understanding some such molecules Huckel Theory of ring systems is quite useful. This theory makes important predictions relevant to inorganic molecules such as S2N2 (rings). 

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