Metal–metal closed-shell interaction in M 2 X 2 (M=Ag, Cu; X=Cl, Br, I) and related compounds [Ag 2 Br 2 ](PH 3 ) 3 and [Cu 2 Cl 2 ](PH 3 ) 2 : an RHF, MP2 and DFT study

Group 11 m-Terphenyl Complexes Featuring Metallophilic Interactions

A series of group 11 m-terphenyl complexes have been synthesized via a metathesis reaction from the iron(II) complexes (2,6-Mes₂C₆H₃)₂Fe and (2,6-Xyl₂C₆H₃)₂Fe (Mes = 2,4,6-Me₃C₆H₂; Xyl = 2,6-Me₂C₆H₃). [2,6-Mes₂C₆H₃M]₂ (1, M = Cu; 2, M = Ag; 6, M = Au) and [2,6-Xyl₂C₆H₃M]₂ (3, M = Cu; 4, M = Ag) are dimeric in the solid state, although different geometries are observed depending on the ligand. These complexes feature short metal-metal distances in the expected range for metallophilic interactions. While 1-4 are readily isolated using this metathetical route, the gold complex 6 is unstable in solution at ambient temperatures and has only been obtained in low yield from the decomposition of (2,6-Mes₂C₆H₃)Au·SMe₂ (5). NMR spectroscopic measurements, including diffusion-ordered spectroscopy, suggest that 1-4 remain dimeric in a benzene-d₆ solution. The metal-metal interactions have been examined computationally using the Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules and by an energy decomposition analysis employing natural orbitals for chemical valence.

The Nature of Metal-Metal Interactions in Dimeric Hydrides and Halides of Group 11 Elements in the Light of High Level Relativistic Calculations

The titular calculations show that charges at metal atoms M are apparently the main factor governing the nature of M⋅⋅⋅M interactions in two-nuclear coinage-metal complexes, and there are certain critical values of positive charges on M atoms, on exceeding which the pair-wise M⋅⋅⋅M interactions and/or the binding between M atoms in such complexes become repulsive despite negative formation energies of such complexes, short M-M internuclear distances, and the existence of a bond critical point (BCP) between M atoms.

Noncovalent interactions determine the conformation of aurophilic complexes with 2-mercapto-4-methyl-5-thiazoleacetic acid ligands

The synthesis of three new gold(i) salts is reported. The intermolecular interactions stabilizing the aurophilic dimers are examined by several first principles interpretative techniques.

Facile preparation of homo- and hetero-dimetallic complexes with a 4-phosphino-substituted NHC ligand. Toward the design of multifunctional catalysts

A series of bimetallic complexes have been synthesized that are supported by a 4-phosphino-substituted NHC ligand. The use of this stable ligand reduces the number of synthetic steps and allows for a wide range of metal combinations to be introduced into the complexes.

A Comparison of Structure and Stability between the Group 11 Halide Tetramers M4X4 (M = Cu, Ag, or Au; X = F, Cl, Br, or I) and the Group 11 Chloride and Bromide Phosphanes (XMPH3)4

The tetramers of the group 11 (I) halides, M(4)X(4) (M = Cu, Ag, or Au; X = F, Cl, Br, or I), and corresponding group 11 (I) phosphanes, chloride and bromide (XMPH(3))(4) (X = Cl or Br), are investigated by the density functional theory. All coinage metal(I) halide tetramers adopt squarelike ring structures with an out-of-plane distorted (butterfly) D(2d) symmetry. These structures are much lower in energy than the more compact cubelike T(d) arrangements, which maximize dipole-dipole interactions and more closely resemble the solid-state structures of the copper and silver halides. Phosphine coordination completely changes the structures of these M(4)X(4) clusters. The copper(I) and silver(I) phosphane chloride and bromide tetramers adopt a heterocubane structure, slightly preferred over a step (ladder-type)-cluster structure well-known in the coordination chemistry of such compounds. In stark contrast, gold(I) phosphane chloride and bromide tetramers prefer assemblies of linear XAuPH(3) units with direct gold-gold contacts, resulting in a square planar, centered trigonal planar, or tetrahedral gold core.

Quasi-Relativistic Density Functional Study of Aurophilic Interactions

Fifteen molecules containing the Au(I) species have been calculated by ab initio HF and MP2 methods and by five different density functional approaches. The aurophilic Au(d10)-Au(d10) bonding mechanism has been investigated. Both, one-electron interactions (i.e., electrostatic, polarization, charge transfer, and orbital interference) and two-electron effects (i.e., correlation, dispersion) contribute significantly to the so-called 'secondary' or metallophilic bonds representing the Au-Au interaction. Second, the applicability of density functional approaches to this type of bonding has been tested. It is well-known that present day density functionals are not yet designed to simulate the long-range London dispersion forces between nonoverlapping systems, whereas they approximately reproduce the short range dynamical electron correlations of strongly overlapping chemically bonded nondegenerate species. It is found here empirically for the investigated groups of gold(I) cluster compounds that simple local density functionals (LDF) of the Slater (or Slater plus Vosko) type yield rather reasonable estimates for the equilibrium distances, and (on the average) also for the aurophilic interaction energies, though with rather large standard deviations. Still LDF are useful for survey investigations of Au cluster compounds. Common gradient corrected DF are not recommended here, nor are the large core pseudopotentials for Au.

Chemical structures from the analysis of domain-averaged Fermi holes: Multiple metalmetal bonding in transition metal compounds

The recently proposed approach based on the analysis of domain-averaged Fermi holes was applied to the study of the nature of metal-metal bonding in transition metal complexes and clusters. The main emphasis was put on the scrutiny of the systems assumed to contain direct multiple metal-metal bonds. The studied systems involve: (1) systems of the type M(2)X(6) (M = Mo, W, X = CH(3)) anticipated to contain metal-metal triple bonds; (2) the molecule of W(2)Cl(8) ((4-)) as the representative of the systems with quadruple metal-metal bonding; (3) diatomic molecules Mo(2) and V(2) considered as the potential candidates for higher than quadruple metal-metal bonding. Although the resulting picture of bonding has been usually shown to agree with the original expectations based on early simple MO models, some examples were also found in which the conclusions of the reported analysis display dramatic sensitivity to the quality of the wave function used for the generation of the Fermi holes. In addition to this we also report some examples where the original theoretical predictions of multiplicity of metal-metal bonds have to be corrected.

Stability of the gold(i)-phosphine bond. A comparison with other group 11 elements

The stability of gold phosphine complexes of the form [Au(PH(3))(n)()](+) (n = 1-4) and [AuCl(PH(3))(n)()] (n = 1-3) is analyzed in detail by applying quantum theoretical methods and compared to the coordination behavior of the lighter group 11 elements copper and silver. It is shown that, once [M(PH(3))(2)](+) or [MClPH(3)] (M = Cu, Ag, and Au) is formed, further coordination by PH(3) ligands is relatively weak; i.e., the energy gain to form [M(PH(3))(3)](+) from [M(PH(3))(2)](+) is less than 60 kJ mol(-)(1), and less than 100 kJ mol(-)(1) to form [MCl(PH(3))(2)] from [MClPH(3)]. Relativistic effects in gold significantly influence these factors and reduce the tendency for phosphine coordination beyond two-coordination. This implies that the most favored coordination number for gold is two with either a linear P-Au-P or P-Au-X arrangement (X = a strongly coordinating ligand like Cl(-)). Instead, X-Au-PH(3) units prefer to interact via close Au-Au contacts (aurophilic interactions) keeping the linear structure approximately intact, while the corresponding copper and silver compounds prefer PH(3) coordination to strongly bound M(2)Cl(2) units (M = Cu or Ag) where two chlorine atoms bridge the two metal atoms thus having the formal coordination number of three for copper or silver.