New class of coordination compounds with noble gas fluorides as ligands to metal ions

A new class of coordination compounds of the type Mⁿ⁺(L)_p](AF₆⁻)_n and Mⁿ⁺(L)_r](BF₄⁻)_n, where M is Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Cd, Pb, lanthanides, A is P, As, Sb, Bi and L is XeF₂, XeF₄, XeF₆, KrF₂, was studied. A review of all known coordination compounds with L is XeF₂ is given: (a) synthetic routes for the preparation of these compounds; (b) analysis of their crystal structures (molecular, dimer, chain, double chain, layer, strongly interconnected double layers and three-dimensional network); (c) the influence of the ligand XeF₂ (small formula volume, linear, semi-ionic, charge of −0.5e on each F ligand); (d) the influence of the central metal ion; (e) the influence of the anions: AF₆⁻ and BF₄⁻ (the formula volume, Lewis basicity). On the basis of all properties of the metal ions, ligand and anions the obtained variety of the structures is analyzed.