The new kid on the block
Friday, June 3, 2011 - 11:01
in Physics & Chemistry
In synthetic chemistry, carbene speciescompounds bearing a carbon atom with two unpaired electronshave a ferocious reputation. Left uncontrolled, they will react with almost any molecule they meet. But by harnessing this vigor with transition metals, chemists can turn carbenes into powerful chemical transformation reagents. Now, Zhaomin Hou and colleagues from the RIKEN Advanced Science Institute in Wako report a new class of compounds that contain multiple carbene units in one extraordinary structure: a cube-shaped molecule stabilized by ligand-protected rare-earth metals.
