Hill MS, Hitchcock PB, Pongtavornpinyo R. A Linear Homocatenated Compound Containing Six Indium Centers.
Science 2006;
311:1904-7. [PMID:
16574862 DOI:
10.1126/science.1123945]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
In contrast to carbon and its heavier congeners, group 13 elements are rarely observed to catenate into linear chains. Here, we find that treatment of indium(I) iodide with a protonated N-xylyl beta-diketiminate and a strong potassium base in tetrahydrofuran yields a hexa-indium chain. X-ray crystallography revealed one beta-diketiminate ligand bound to each indium center with no bridging ligands supporting the five indium-indium single bonds. The terminal indium centers were capped with iodine. Electronic spectroscopy and computations on a model compound offer preliminary support for sigma delocalization along the chain.
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