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Published Online September 22, 2005
Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1116789

Reports

Submitted on June 30, 2005
Accepted on September 8, 2005

Synthesis of a Stable Compound with Fivefold Bonding Between Two Chromium(I) Centers

Tailuan Nguyen 1, Andrew D. Sutton 1, Marcin Brynda 1, James C. Fettinger 1, Gary J. Long 2, Philip P. Power 1*

1 Department of Chemistry, One Shields Avenue, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
2 Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri Rolla, Rolla, MO 65409-0010, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Philip P. Power , E-mail: pppower{at}ucdavis.edu

Although, in principle, transition metals can form bonds with 6 shared electron pairs, only quadruply-bonded compounds can be isolated as stable species at room temperature. Now, reduction of {Cr(µ-Cl)Ar'}2 (Ar' = C6H3-2,6(C6H3-2,6-Pri2)2 Pri = isopropyl) with a slight excess of potassium graphite has produced a stable compound with fivefold Cr-Cr bonding. The very air and moisture sensitive, dark red crystals of Ar'CrCrAr' were isolated in >40% yield. X-ray diffraction revealed a Cr-Cr bond length of 1.8351(4) angstroms and a planar, trans-bent core geometry. These data, together with its temperature independent paramagnetism, as well as computational studies, support sharing of 5 electron pairs in 5 bonding molecular orbitals between two 3d5 chromium(I) ions.


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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)