Scientists in the US have made a new molecular wheel. The bimetallic cluster, Nb2Au6–, consists of a Nb≡Nb tripled bonded unit surrounded by a Au6 ring.
A molecular wheel with a short Nb≡Nb triple bond coordinated by an Au6 ring and reinforced by σ aromaticity
Lai-Sheng Wang and his team at Brown University made the cluster by striking a gold and niobium solid target with an intense laser beam. Theoretical calculations show that there are two π bonds and one σ bond in the Nb2 dimer. The cluster also has five totally delocalised σ bonds – scientists have not reported σ aromaticity in a metal–ligand system before.
Read the full story by Jennifer Newton on Chemistry World.
