Alkaline earth metals: homometallic bonding

Abstract

The study of alkaline earth metal complexes is undergoing a renaissance. Stable molecular species featuring Mg–Mg bonds were reported in 2007 and their reactivity has since been intensively investigated. Motivated by this work, efforts have also been devoted to the synthesis of complexes featuring Be–Be and Ca–Ca bonds. These collective endeavours have revealed that the chemistry of the group 2 metals is richer and more complex than had previously been appreciated. Here, a discussion of the nature of homometallic alkaline earth bonding is presented, recent synthetic advances are described, and future directions are considered.