Two Rings To Rule Them All: Pentalenide Complexes of s, d and f block Metals

Pentalenide, the 10 π dianionic “dimer” of the ubiquitous cyclopentadienide, is an intriguing ligand for organometallic chemistry due to its unique binding modes that give rise to unusual mono- and bimetallic structures. Historically, the wider use of pentalenide chemistry has been hampered by synthetic challenges associated with accessing ligand precursors. I will present the development of a straightforward synthetic route to variously substituted dihydropentalenes, investigations into their electronic structures, and show some of their coordination chemistry with s, d and f block metals towards application in bimetallic catalysis.