Mary Mena

11-22-10

Dr.Birdwhistell

Inorganic chem.

Ligand of the Week Assignment, #5, ChemA350 Fall2010

Ligand Assignment #5: Ligands that bind through Unsaturated carbon (could
simultaneously bind thru another element as well).

1. Give the name of the ligand and draw a 3-dimensional picture of your complex that it
forms with a transition metal.

2. Draw the lewis structure of your ligand .

3. Is the ligand charged or neutral in your complex (What is the charge)?

In Ferrocene, iron is in the +2 oxidation state and has 6 valence electrons. Ferrocene is a
neutral d8 metal .

4. What is the denticity of your ligand in your complex? (how many points ofattachment? Mono,
bi, tri, tetra, penta, hexa?) η1, η2, η3 , etc.

Ferrocene is a bis‐cyclopentadienyl metal complex; (η5‐Cp)2M. The two cyclopentadienyl

(Cp) rings of ferrocene may be orientated in the two extremes of either an eclipsed (D5h) or
staggered (D5d) conformation, both linear. The primary orbital interactions that form the
metal‐ligand bonds in ferrocene occur between the Fe orbitals and the π‐orbitals of the Cp
ligand.

5. Is there interesting chemistry associated with this ligand and/or complex?5

 Mary Mena

11-22-10

Dr.Birdwhistell

Inorganic chem.

6. Is this a strong, medium or weak field ligand ?

The Cp ligand is a strong pi-donor , making it a strong field ligand.

7. Can you describe the ligand orbitals used in bonding to the metal?

The 6 valence electrons in Ferrocene are contained in the s, 3p and 2 of the d orbitals as
they overlap with the 6 filled bonding orbitals of the two cyclopenatdienyl rings to form 12
new orbitals of which six are bonding and filled.

References (all online)

 Mary Mena

11-22-10

Dr.Birdwhistell

Inorganic chem.

1.) Riemschneider, R.; Reisch, A.; Horak, H. Moruztsh. Chem., 1960,91,805-811

2.) Burkey, D. J.; Hanusa, T. P. Comments Inorg. Chem., 1995, 17,41-77.
3.) Leffler, A. J. Inorg. Chem., 1968, 7,2651-2652.
4.) Urazowski, I. F.; Ponomaryov, V. I.; Ellert, O. G.; Nifant’ev, I. E.; Lemenovskii, D. A. J. Organomet.
Chem., 1988,356, 181-193.
5.) http://www.goldbulletin.org/assets/file/goldbulletin/downloads/ANTONIO_3_32.PDF