Bonding and electronic structures in dinuclear (X)[(Ind)M 2 L 2 ] complexes (M = Ni, Pd, L = CO, PEt 3 , X = Cl, Allyl, Ind = indenyl, Cp = cyclopentadienyl): analogy between four-electron donor ligands

The calculations of bimetallic complexes of the type (X)[(Ind)M2(L)2] (M = Ni, Pd, L = CO, (PEt3) and X = Allyl, Cp and indenyl) have been done using two DFT functionals, namely BP86 and B3LYP*. The allyl, Cp and indenyl ligands adopt the same η3-coordination mode with a π bond and can be considered to be isolobal, while the chloride acts as σ- and π-donor. The computed structural and energetic parameters and energy decomposition yield chemically useful information. We report that the metal–metal bond distances are slightly sensitive to the electron donation and electron π-backdonation as the isolobal prediction suggests. Changing the metal from Ni to Pd has the result of increasing the metal–metal bond distance, decreasing the natural population of Pd and the weakness interactions between the X− ligand and the [(Ind)M2(L)2]+ fragment. The results showed that the four ligands behave quite similarly in terms of bonding, coordination mode and donation and π-backdonation properties highlighted by the orbitals’ populations and the energy decomposition. However, the strength of interactions can be classified as follows: Cl < Cp ≈ Ind < Allyl. In all the complexes studied, the M22+ moiety adopts a single metal–metal bonding attributing the 16-MVE configuration to each M(I) cation.