Isolobality

A completely different structural motif has very recently been found in the red-brown phosphide CasPg, formed by direct fusion of Ca metal and red P in the correct atom ratio in a corundum crucible at 1000 C. The structure comprises Ca + cations and Pg anions, the latter adopting a staggered ethane conformation. (Note that P+ is isolobal with C and P with H so that C2H6 = [(P+)2(P"")6] = Ps - -) The internal P-P distance is 230.1pm and the terminal P-P distances 214.9-216.9 pm, while the internal PPP angles are 104.2-106.4° and the outer angles are 103.4-103.7°. 

Carbene complexes are isolobal with the corresponding organic carbonyl compounds Hoffmann R (1982) Angew Chem 94 725 Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 21 711... 

As an illustration of the phosphorus-carbon analogy, consider the result of replacing a carbon fragment (CR2) by a phosphorus moiety (PR) in each of the common low-coordinate organic compounds (1C-4C) shown in Fig. 1. For example, the replacement of a single carbon in an alkene (1C) results in a phos-phaalkene (IP). Similarly, the phosphaalkynes (2P) are isolobal relatives of the alkynes (2C), and terminal phosphinidene complexes (3P) can be related to the... 

The isocyanide ligand, CNR, is formally isolobal with a carbene ligand. Several studies have investigated iron(Ill) porphyrin isocyanide complexes which have the general formula [FeCPorKCNR) ]. However, these studies have mostly been concerned with spin state and spectroscopic properties rather than chemical transformations and will not be discussed in detail here. Crystallographic details are given for two of the complexes. " ... 

Over the last decade a number of high oxidation state ruthenium porphyrin complexes containing 0x0 or imido ligands have been reported and have been thoroughly studied for their role in oxidation and atom-transfer chemistry. Although comparisons can be drawn with organometallic species (carbene, imido. and 0x0 ligands are formally isolobal) the chemistry of the 0x0 and imido complexes is beyond the scope of the review and will not be covered here. 

Many carbonyl and carbonyl metallate complexes of the second and third row, in low oxidation states, are basic in nature and, for this reason, adequate intermediates for the formation of metal— metal bonds of a donor-acceptor nature. Furthermore, the structural similarity and isolobal relationship between the proton and group 11 cations has lead to the synthesis of a high number of cluster complexes with silver—metal bonds.1534"1535 Thus, silver(I) binds to ruthenium,15 1556 osmium,1557-1560 rhodium,1561,1562 iron,1563-1572 cobalt,1573 chromium, molybdenum, or tungsten,1574-1576 rhe-nium, niobium or tantalum, or nickel. Some examples are shown in Figure 17. 

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