Nitrogen centered inverse coordination complexes. A survey of molecular topologies

Abstract

Inverse coordination is an emerging novel chemical concept describing the formation of metal complexes in which the arrangement of acceptor and donor sites is opposite to that occurring in conventional coordination complexes. Inverse coordination complexes are formed around a non-metal species as central atom (ion or small molecule) surrounded by a number of metal atoms (ions) connected or not by internal bridging (intramolecular) linkers. This article illustrates the diversity of species described under this concept with structures in which the coordination center is nitrogen (mono- and poly-nitrogen moieties).