EFFECT OF LIGAND COORDINATION TYPE ON THE RELATIVE STABILITY OF LINEAR MERCURY CLUSTERS

The problem of stabilization of linear mercury clusters with acceptor ligands coordinated along the symmetry axis of the cluster is discusse d in terms of the MNDO method. It is shown that stable four-membered r ings Hg2Cl2 may be formed It is proposed that the structure of linear mercury clusters with side coordination of ligands be described as the result of ''polymerization'' of short stable linear molecules XHgnX ( n = 1,2) and HgX21-, HgX31- ions with accepting terminal groups.