Cooperative gallium bonds unlock zero-valent titanium and zirconium
Strategy could make low-valent metal chemistry a lot more accessible
Chemists have isolated the first homoleptic titanium(0) and zirconium(0) complexes that are seven‑coordinate and stabilised entirely by monodentate gallium ligands. Cooperative gallium–gallium interactions underpin the compounds’ unprecedented stability and may offer a new route to other highly-reduced early transition metal systems.