Comment on "Observation of alkaline earth complexes M(CO)8 (M = Ca, Sr, or Ba) that mimic transition metals"

Wu et al. (Reports, 31 August 2018, p. 912) claim that recently characterized octacarbonyls of Ca, Sr, and Ba mimic the classical Dewar-Chatt-Duncanson bonding motif of transition metals. This claim, which contradicts known chemistry and computed electron density distributions, originates in the assumption of a flawed reference state for energy decomposition analyses.

Source: ScienceNOW - August 7, 2019 Category: Science Authors: Landis, C. R., Hughes, R. P., Weinhold, F. Tags: Chemistry t-comment Source Type: news