Copper, gold and nickel clusters with and without metal–metal bonds in 50 years of Fackler group chemistry

Abstract

Clusters have played a strong role in the chemistry of the Fackler group for about 50years (Fackler 1989) [1]. This paper reviews some of the chemistry we have uncovered with copper, gold and nickel which have produced several unanswered questions. Although electron-pair bonding between the metal atoms in these clusters is present only in the gold(II) compounds described, cuprophilic and aurophilic metal–metal interactions are present in the compounds described for copper and gold. In the tri-i-butyl aluminum reduced nickel catalyst system which leads to the formation of cis-polybutadiene, the role of any metal–metal interactions is unknown.