THROUGH-RING BONDING IN EDGE-SHARING DIMERS OF SQUARE-PLANAR COMPLEXES

A qualitative molecular orbital study on the title compounds has allow ed us to establish the factors which determine the possibility of thro ugh-ring bonding. Orbital interaction diagrams and the resulting relat ionship between framework electron count (FEC) and through-ring bondin g are analyzed for XR2 bridging groups, as well as for XR3 and other i solobal bridges. The influence of the electronegativity of the bridgin g atom X, and of the bulk of the terminal ligands has also been studie d. The predictions made from the qualitative bonding model developed a re consistent with existing structural data.