Understanding Boron through Size-Selected Clusters: Structure, Chemical Bonding, and Fluxionality

• Published in: Accounts of chemical research Vol. 47; no. 4; pp. 1349 - 1358
• Main Authors: Sergeeva, Alina P, Popov, Ivan A, Piazza, Zachary A, Li, Wei-Li, Romanescu, Constantin, Wang, Lai-Sheng, Boldyrev, Alexander I
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Chemical Society 15.04.2014
• Subjects: Atomic structure; Benzene; Bonding; Boron; Boron - chemistry; Boron compounds; Boron Compounds - chemistry; Chemical bonds; Clusters; Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory; Hydrocarbons - chemistry; Models, Chemical; Molecular Structure; Nanotubes - chemistry; Photoelectron Spectroscopy; Transition Elements; Transmutation; Wheels

Boron is an interesting element with unusual polymorphism. While three-dimensional (3D) structural motifs are prevalent in bulk boron, atomic boron clusters are found to have planar or quasi-planar structures, stabilized by localized two-center–two-electron (2c–2e) σ bonds on the periphery and deloc...