Nickel carbonyl clusters containing interstitial carbon-congener atoms: synthesis and structural characterisation of the [Ni12(µ12-E)(CO)22]2–(E = Ge, Sn) and [Ni10(µ10-Ge)(CO)20]2–dianions

Abstract

The first example of carbonyl clusters containing fully interstitial germanium and tin atoms have been isolated from the reaction of their chlorides with [Ni₆(CO)₁₂]^2–; the structures of the icosahedral [Ni₁₂Ge(CO)₂₂]^2– and [Ni₁₂Sn(CO)₂₂]^2– and the pentagonal antiprismatic [Ni₁₀Ge(CO)₂₀]^2– have been established from X-ray diffraction studies.