The Build-Up of Bimetallic Transition Metal Clusters

The synthesis and reaction chemistry of high nuclearity transition metal carbonyl clusters is briejly reviewed, and new synthetic strategies leading to the “rational ” synthesis of bimetallic clusters containing metal cores of over 1 nm in dimension are described. The solid state structures of a number of usmiuml mercury, osmiumlgold and rutheniumlcopper bimetallic clusters are discussed with regard to the nature of their formation, und of their bonding and redox properties. Suggestions are made as to how the synthetic strategies can be adapted to prepare bimetallic clusters of industrially useful combinations of metals. Recent work showing that bimetallic nunuparticles prepared frum clusters are catalytically active when anchored inside mesoporous silica is also discussed. Transition metal carbonyl cluster chemistry has been an important and developing topic of research in organometallic chemistry for the last three decades (1). One of the main appeals of clusters is that they lie at the interface betwee