Nickel metal carbonyl clusters

Although a metal ion usually serves as a matrix for the synthesis of organic products, in this case there is a kind of functional work exchange between partners, with L27 assembling the trinuclear metal carbonyl cluster from mononuclear Ni(CO)4- The cluster is isolated as a nickel complex incorporating the L27 template. 

Although Ni(CO)4 was discovered many years ago, no neutral Ni2(CO)x compound has ever been synthesized in macroscopic amounts. However, several communications report ionic species such as [Ni2(CO)8l+, [Ni2(CO)7], and [Ni2(CO)6]+, where structures with one or two bridging carbonyls are proposed.2418 Plausible structures for neutral Ni2(CO)x (x = 5, 6, 7) have been investigated by theoretical methods, and decomposition temperatures well below room temperature have been predicted.2419,2420 Tetra-, penta-, and hexanuclear nickel carbonyl clusters have been investigated by means of molecular orbital theory. It is found that the neutral forms are more stable than the corresponding anionic forms but the anionic forms gain in stability as the nuclearity rises.2421 Nickel carbonyl cluster anions are manifold, and structural systematics have been reviewed.2422,2423 An example includes the anion [Ni9(CO)i6]2- with a close-packed two-layer metal core.2424... 

Although anionic species with nickel in the oxidation state -I have been postulated, such as [Ni2(CO)6]2, these have not been confirmed. Nickel does, however, form a number of anionic carbonyl clusters with higher nuclearity, e.g., [Ni5(CO)l2]2-, in which the metal carries a partial negative charge. 

From organotransition-metal chemistry towards molecular electronics electronic communication between ligand-bridged metals Carbonylated nickel clusters from molecules to metals ... 

The abundant chemistry of Ni(CO>4 under reductive reaction conditions leading to the formation of dinuclear nickel complexes or even to nickel clusters suggests the involvement of higher aggregates, however. An overview of the reactivity of nickel complexes, and of Ni(CO)4 in particular, is given in a series of excellent reviews by Jolly [13]. There seems to be evidence of an autocatalytic cycle for the formation of the active catalyst [14]. Parallel to this, the water-gas shift reaction (eq. (5)) occurs, resulting in the formation of carbon dioxide and hydrogen, which is known to form metal hydrides in the presence of metal carbonyls [15]. 

E5.4 Formation of platinum and palladium clusters with carbonyl and phosphine ligands E5.5 Reactivity and flexibility in platinum metal clusters E5.6 Excited state properties of the low-valent bi- and trinuclear complexes of palladium and platinum E5.7 Interstitial nickel carbonyl clusters... 

Meanwhile very active and small crystallites have been obtained, for instance, by thermal decomposition and reduction with H2 of molecular clusters as [Pt3(CO)6]n n = 2, 3, 4, 5) [11] or (r -CsH5)2Ni2(CO)2 and (T7 4 5H5)3Ni3(CO)2 [12]. It appears that the size of metallic particles obtained by these procedures does not exceed the size of the original molecular metal cluster. However it has not been proved in the case of platinum that the metal particles contain the same number of metal atoms as the molecular clusters from which they are formed. In the case of nickel particles [12] spectroscopic and chemisorption evidence suggest that the supported nickel atoms retain the original geometrical disposition of the parent molecular cluster. Meanwhile a certain reversibility to reform a carbonyl cluster by reaction with CO has been proved. 

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. 

---