Metal cluster compound
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metal cluster compound
(′med·əl ¦kləs·tər ′käm′pau̇nd)
(chemistry) A compound in which two or more metal atoms aggregate so as to be within bonding distance of one another and each metal atom is bonded to at least two other metal atoms; some nonmetal atoms may be associated with the cluster.
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Metal cluster compound
A compound in which two or more metal atoms are bonded to one another. Metal cluster compounds bridge the gap between the solid-state chemistry of the metals—or their lower-valent oxides, chalcogenides, and related salts—and the complexes of the metals in which each metal ion is completely surrounded by and bonded to a set of ligands or ions. The latter group comprises the classical coordination chemistry of metal ions. See also Coordination chemistry; Coordination complexes; Solid-state chemistry.
Interest in metal cluster compounds arises from unique features of their chemistry: (1) Cluster compounds provide models for studying fundamental reactions on surfaces. (2) There is a hope that cluster compounds may provide entry to new classes of catalysts that may be tailored to specific syntheses and may thus be more selective than existing processes. (3) The nature of the bonding in cluster compounds is an area wherein experiment and theory are continuously challenging each other. (4) The systematic synthesis of mixed metal clusters may provide for the development of new types of supported catalysts (the discrete clusters are deposited on supports such as alumina, silica, or zeolites). See also Atom cluster; Nanostructure.
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McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms. Copyright © 2003, 1994, 1989, 1984, 1978, 1976, 1974 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
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