Covalent transition metals

Covalent transition metal lanthanide and actinide tetrahydroborate complexes. T. J. Marks and... 

In this article, the term metal hydrides refers almost exclusively to molecular species that is, to covalent transition metal hydride complexes. We will not review the rather extensive literature on solid-state metal hydrides (e.g., UH3, TI14H15,... 

Boreskov (18) has proposed a model for transition metal compounds in which the rate of oxidation is assumed to be determined by the rate of electron transfer between oxygen and the transition metal ion. This process is further assumed to be facilitated with increasing degree of covalency of the metal-oxygen bond. Thus the more covalent transition metal oxides are more active than the rather ionic metal ion-exchanged zeolites. The oxygen-bridged species as described above is considered to be more covalent in character, and hence more active for oxidation catalysis than the transition... 

To measure a gas-phase spectrum of a transition metal molecule, the compound must possess sufficient volatility to generate a pressure of 10 — 10 Torr at a temperature below its decomposition point. Such conditions clearly restrict the number of compounds that can be measured in this state. Many of the more covalent transition metal compounds will survive such treatment, and gas-phase PES has been... 

The hydrides formed in reaction (a) may be classified as (1) saline or ionic hydrides, (2) metallic hydrides and (3) covalent hydrides. The saline hydrides include the hydrides of the alkali and alkaline-earth metals, except BeHj, which is covalent. Transition metals form binary compounds with hydrogen that are classified as metallic hydrides including rare-earth and actinide hydrides. Intermetallic compound hydrides, such as TiFeHj and LaNijH, may be thought of as pseudobinary metallic hydrides. 

Marks, T. J., Kolb, J. R. Covalent transition metal, lanthanide, and actinide tetrahydroborate complexes. Chem. Rev. 1977, 77, 263-293. 

In addition to the rj1, q2 and r 3 covalent transition metal tetrahydrobo-rates, another type of complexes exist where the interaction between M+ and BH4- is mainly electrostatic. These compounds which are quite common are defined as ionic tetrahydroborate complexes. They are characterised by the non-coordination of the tetrahydroborate and consequently by a long metal-boron distance. Several compounds of this class have been wrongly classified as monodentate covalent complexes. 

Covalent. Formed by most of the non-metals and transition metals. This class includes such diverse compounds as methane, CH4 and iron carbonyl hydride, H2Fe(CO)4. In many compounds the hydrogen atoms act as bridges. Where there are more than one hydride sites there is often hydrogen exchange between the sites. Hydrogens may be inside metal clusters. 

For the transition metals it is often impossible to reach a noble gas structure except in covalent compounds (see effective atomic number rule) and it is found that relative stability is given by having the sub-shells (d or f) filled, half-filled or empty. 

Simple metals like alkalis, or ones with only s and p valence electrons, can often be described by a free electron gas model, whereas transition metals and rare earth metals which have d and f valence electrons camiot. Transition metal and rare earth metals do not have energy band structures which resemble free electron models. The fonned bonds from d and f states often have some strong covalent character. This character strongly modulates the free-electron-like bands. 

The solid anhydrous halides of some of the transition metals are often intermediate in character between ionic and covalent their structures are complicated by (a) the tendency of the central metal ion to coordinate the halide ions around it, to form an essentially covalent complex, (b) the tendency of halide ions to bridge, or link, two metal ions, again tending to covalency (cf. aluminium chloride, p. 153 and iron(III) chloride, p. 394). 

Shannon and Prewitt base their effective ionic radii on the assumption that the ionic radius of (CN 6) is 140 pm and that of (CN 6) is 133 pm. Also taken into consideration is the coordination number (CN) and electronic spin state (HS and LS, high spin and low spin) of first-row transition metal ions. These radii are empirical and include effects of covalence in specific metal-oxygen or metal-fiuorine bonds. Older crystal ionic radii were based on the radius of (CN 6) equal to 119 pm these radii are 14-18 percent larger than the effective ionic radii. 

The duoroborate ion has traditionally been referred to as a noncoordinating anion. It has shown Httie tendency to form a coordinate—covalent bond with transition metals as do nitrates and sulfates. A few exceptional cases have been reported (13) in which a coordinated BF was detected by infrared or visible spectroscopy. 

Although the lUPAC has recommended the names tetrahydroborate, tetrahydroaluminate, etc, this nomenclature is not yet ia general use. Borohydrides. The alkaU metal borohydrides are the most important complex hydrides. They are ionic, white, crystalline, high melting soHds that are sensitive to moisture but not to oxygen. Group 13 (IIIA) and transition-metal borohydrides, on the other hand, are covalendy bonded and are either Hquids or sublimable soHds. The alkaline-earth borohydrides are iatermediate between these two extremes, and display some covalent character. 

Lewis acids are defined as molecules that act as electron-pair acceptors. The proton is an important special case, but many other species can play an important role in the catalysis of organic reactions. The most important in organic reactions are metal cations and covalent compounds of metals. Metal cations that play prominent roles as catalysts include the alkali-metal monocations Li+, Na+, K+, Cs+, and Rb+, divalent ions such as Mg +, Ca +, and Zn, marry of the transition-metal cations, and certain lanthanides. The most commonly employed of the covalent compounds include boron trifluoride, aluminum chloride, titanium tetrachloride, and tin tetrachloride. Various other derivatives of boron, aluminum, and titanium also are employed as Lewis acid catalysts. 

A variety of complexes of the thionyl imide anion [NSO] with both early and late transition-metal complexes have been prepared and structurally characterized. Since both ionic and covalent derivatives of this anion are readily prepared, e.g., K[NSO], McsMNSO (M = Si, Sn) or Hg(NSO)2, metathetical reactions of these reagents with transition-metal halide complexes represent the most general synthetic method for the preparation of these complexes (Eq. 7.10 and 7.11). ... 

By far the most common CN of hydrogen is 1, as in HCl, H2S, PH3, CH4 and most other covalent hydrides and organic compounds. Bridging modes in which the H atom has a higher CN are shown schematically in the next column — in these structures M is typically a transition metal but, particularly in the Mi-tnode and to some extent in the x3-mode, one or more of the M can represent a main-group element such as B, Al C, Si N etc. Typical examples are in Table 3.3. Fuller discussion and references, when appropriate, will be found in later chapters dealing with the individual elements concerned. 

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