All in the Family

摘要

The nitrogen column in the periodic table is perhaps the most diverse, ranging from the light, tightly bound N_2 gas, through cluster-prone phosphorus and arsenic (As), on down to the semi-metals antimony (Sb) and bismuth (Bi). Molecular phosphoramides that combine the two lighter elements are well known, and recently a simple compound of phosphorus (P) and As emerged stably from solution (see Cos-sairt ef al., Brevia, 30 January 2009, p. 602). Alloys of the heavier elements, in keeping withrntheir semimetallic character, are also known. However, coordination complexes of As with its heavier congeners are comparatively rare. Conrad ef al. present a straightforward synthetic route to this class of compounds, mixing tri-alkyl or triaryl arsines with chlorinated Sb and Bi substrates in dichloromethane solution.