The Structure and Symmetry of Metal Tris Chelates


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Authors: Marion E. Cass, Carleton College and Henry S. Rzepa, Imperial College London
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A. What is a Metal Tris Chelate E. Analogies to Propellers
B. Symmetry Operations for Metal Tris Chelates
  1. With Symmetric Ligands
  2. With Asymmetric Ligands
  3. Higher Order Symmetries
F. Metal Tris Chelates with Non-Planar Ligands that can have &lambda or &delta Ligand Conformations
  1. What is a &lambda or a &delta Ligand Conformation?
  2. Contrasting the &Lambda -&lambda&lambda&lambda and &Delta -&delta&delta&delta Enantiomers of Co(H2NCH2CH2NH2)33+
C. Stereochemical Properties of Metal Tris Chelates
  1. Definition of Chirality
  2. &Delta and &Lambda Enantiomeric Forms
  3. Assigning the Absolute Configuration (&Delta or &Lambda)
      a. Method 1
G. Mechanisms that Racemize the &Lambda and &Delta Forms of Metal Tris Chelates
  1. Non-dissociative Mechanisms
  2. Knowing that Dissociative Mechanisms are Very Common
D. Examples of Research Applications
  1. Chiral Interactions with DNA
  2. Chiral Interactions with Proteins
H. Exercises
  1. One Isomer of Ir(acac)3
  2. One Isomer of Mn(acac)3
  3. One Isomer of Mo(acac)3
  4. One Isomer of [Fe(2-ethylaminopyridyl)3]3+
  5. One isomer of a [Fe(TRENCAM)]3-
  6. A Capped Tris Chelate of Cu2+
  7. Two Isomers with &lambda / &delta ligand twists
  8. One Isomer of [Co(1,2-diaminocyclohexane)3]3+