Molecular-orbital theory of organometallic compounds. Part IX. The metal–hydrogen bond in complex hydrides of the transition metals

Abstract

The variation in observed metal–hydrogen bond lengths in transition-metal complex hydrides is discussed in terms of the maximum overlap criterion of bond strength. A comparative study is made employing the new analytic radial functions for the lower series. In contrast to previous calculations, it is concluded that normal M–H distances may be expected in a number of compounds especially if π-bonding ligands are present.