Molecular coordination sphere

In typical organic crystals, molecular pairs are easily sorted out and ab initio methods that work for gas-phase dimers can be applied to the analysis of molecular dimers in the crystal coordination sphere. The entire lattice energy can then be approximated as a sum of pairwise molecule-molecule interactions examples are crystals of benzene [40], alloxan [41], and of more complex aziridine molecules [42]. This obviously neglects cooperative and, in general, many-body effects, which seem less important in hard closed-shell systems. The positive side of this approach is that molecular coordination spheres in crystals can be dissected and bonding factors can be better analyzed, as examples in the next few sections will show. 

Each molecule in the model crystal cluster is identified by a symmetry operator, O(y ), connecting it to the reference one, by a distance, R(J) (usually between centers of mass), and by E J), as described above. For comparisons, E(J) is usually expressed as a percent of the total (PPE) the assembly of molecules with (y)>0.02 (PE) is taken as the molecular coordination sphere (see 12.4.3). 

On average the molecular coordination sphere contains 12 molecules, providing about 90% of the total amount of (PE) [36], a result that confirms the early intuition... 

As indicated in 12.5.1, it is difficult to compare two crystal structures. Structures with different space groups may actually be quite similar, and the comparison of spatial symmetry and even of cell parameters can be quite misleading. A much safer comparison is between the molecular coordination spheres, using 0(J)> U) nd E(j) (see 12.3.2.4). The similarity of 0 j) and R(j) may be less compelling, but the partitioning of the energy over molecule-molecule interactions usually provides a very strict test of similarity. 1 vo crystal structures with the same E(J) fo " few nearest neighbours are likely to turn out to be the same. 

There are two general routes to complexes. The first involves direct addition of molecular Ht either to an unoccupied coordination site in a 16-electron complex (as above) or by displacement of a ligand such as CO, Cl, H2O in the coordination sphere of an 18-electron complex in this latter case ultraviolet irradiation may be required to assist in the... 

The dehydrogenative coupling of silanes does not stop at the stage of disilanes in the coordination sphere of early transition metals like Zr and Hf, but chain polymers of low molecular weight are formed. As reactive intermediates in this reaction, silylene complexes are also assumed. However, alternative mechanisms have been discussed (sect. 2.5.4). 

Most tin(II) compounds display structures with a trigonal pyramidal coordination. This is of course to be expected as the tin atom is in the first place electrophilic in order to complete its outer electron configuration (cf. Chapter 5 and 6). To illustrate the resemblance of this geometry between ionic and molecular compounds, the structure of NH4SnF3 (5) 31) is compared with that of the cage compound (Me3CN)3(Me3A10)Sn4 (6) 32). The coordination sphere of the tin atom is the same in 5 and 6 (for the complete structure of 6 see Sect. 6.5) ... 

Hitherto no monometalated molecular pnictide exists without solvation of the main group metal atom. Therefore, the monomeric species L (Fig. 2) can only be stabilized if the Li ion has its coordination sphere enlarged through donor solvation. More importantly, the lithium phosphanides of the type K undergo oligomerization processes to form dimer, tetramer, hexamer, or polymeric assemblies M—Q (Fig. 2), which dissociate in solution more easily than related amides (2, 11, 12). 

The energy minima between the energy barriers for the monomer coordination and insertion correspond to alkene-bound intermediates of the kind simulated by our molecular mechanics calculations (Figures 1.7 and 1.9). The possible dissociation of the monomer coordinated with the wrong enantioface can lead back to the alkene-free intermediate or, directly, to the alkene-bound intermediate with the right enantioface (through some isomerization mechanism, for which the monomer does not leave the coordination sphere of the metal). 

---