Ab initio studies of the dimers (HgH2)2 and (HgMe2)2. Metallophilic attraction and the van der Waals radii of mercury
Abstract
The title compounds are used to determine, for the first time, the energy of the ‘metallophilic’ attraction between two Hg(II) compounds. The dispersion and electrostatic multipole components to this attraction are analyzed. The present purely theoretical molecular data suggest a mercury(II) van der Waals radius of 175(7) pm.