Main group element reactions with metals

Reactions of metal halides with polysulfide dianions are useful methods for the synthesis of polysulfido complexes of main group elements and transition metals. In most of these reactions, similarly to other methods, the chain lengths and coordination types of the polysulfide ligands depend on the other ligands coordinated to the metal, on the ratio between the metal and sulfur, on the reaction temperature, and other parameters. 

The reduction of phosphates by carbon is a classical method, but the purity of phosphides obtained this way can be suspect. This also holds for replacement reactions, in which a redox process between a transition metal and a metal phosphide is used for the preparation of phosphides with high thermal stabihty. Binary main-group element and transition metal phosphides hke AIP, CrP, NbP, MoP, or WP can be prepared by the reaction of the powdered metals with a melt of hthium metaphosphate LiP03. Bulk samples of transition metal phosphides hke C02P or NiMoP can be obtained via reduction of metal oxide/phosphate mixtures in a mixture of 5% H2 in N2. MoP, WP, Fc2P, M2P, FeP, and RuP can be synthesized by direct reduction of the transition metal phosphates in hydrogen atmosphere between 670 and 1320 K. ... 

The phosphides and arsenides of the elements M—PRR and M—AsRR are well known for main group elements, but transition metal analogues are more unusual. Insertion reactions were not widely explored until recently, but examples are given in reactions (j) and (k) (X = O or S) ° and (l) (n) (X = or As ) and (m) are effectively oxidative insertions of a nitrene, or specifically PhN into an Sn-P or Sn-As bond, and thus represent an extension of the Staudinger reactions whereby a phosphine or arsine is treated with an azide, and thereby converted into a phosphine-imine or the arsine analogue, as follows ... 

Two principle strategies have been employed for the synthesis of siloxide-containing molecular precursors. The first involves a silanolysis, or condensation, reaction of the Si - OH groups with a metal amido, alkyl, hahde, or alkoxide complex. The second method involves salt metathesis reactions of an alkali metal siloxide with a metal hahde. Much of our work has been focused on formation of tris(tert-butoxy)siloxide derivatives of the early transition metals and main group elements. The largely imexplored regions of the periodic table include the lanthanides and later transition metals. 

CAChe 5.0, available in 2002, includes a new, more powerful, semiempirical method that uses the PM5 Hamiltonian, a MOPAC 2002 offering, modeling of molecules with up to 20,000 atoms, the inclusion of all main group elements in one semiempirical method, and using MOPAC AMl-d, supports the transition metals Pt, Fe, Cu, Ag, Mo, V, and Pd. Researchers can now import and display, in 3D, proteins from the Protein Data Bank (PDB), optimize proteins, dock ligands, and model reactions on protein molecules. 

In the reaction of group 13 element halides with metal carbonyl dianions, the analysis is more complex than observed for the reactions with metal monoanions. Upon addition of metal dianions to EX3 or REX3, either one or two halide ions may be eliminated. When only one halide ion is eliminated per added metal dianion, the complexes may still be viewed as E3+ derivatives (Equations (33)-(36)).19 This may be controlled to some extent by the stoichiometry of the reaction. Comparison of Equations (33)19 and (34)19 shows that the electron demand at the main group element can be satisfied by coordination either to an electron-rich metal center 26 or formation of a halide bridge 27. Ligand-stabilized forms may also be prepared in this fashion (Equation (36)).19... 

Reactions of Transition Metal-Group 13 Element Complexes with Main Group Element SiMe3 Complexes... 

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