Development and Applications of Sterically Demanding Ligands in Main Group Chemistry

Dear Colleagues,

Many recent advances in main group chemistry have been achieved with compounds bearing highly sterically demanding ligand systems. This has led, for example, to the discovery of complexes with elements in low coordination and novel bonding modes, rare oxidation states, and compounds with unique properties. Many of these compounds have been capable of activating highly inert small molecules under mild conditions, leading to the discovery of novel stoichiometric and catalytic reactivity. The sterically demanding ligands in these complexes can shape compound geometries and properties, facilitate, or prevent certain reaction pathways, and thus enable new forms of chemistry with main group elements.

These endeavours often started with exploratory fundamental studies on sterically demanding ligand systems at main group element centres, leading to a wide range of both broadly anticipated findings and highly surprising discoveries. Many efforts have been made in synthesising, characterising, and studying these compound classes, helping to shape our understanding of the fine balance of steric and electronic effects in these compounds, which is still developing. The synthesis of new sterically demanding ligand systems, their connection to main group fragments, and the further transformations of their complexes can lead to new challenges; however, because of the significant impact of the ligand bulk, in some instances, minor differences in ligand architecture have led to significantly different reaction outcomes and this field still holds many surprises and opportunities for main group chemistry.

In this Special Issue, we welcome contributions to this field that shed light on new findings in main group chemistry with sterically demanding ligand systems.

Dr. Andreas Stasch
Guest Editor

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• sterically demanding ligands
• ligand design and synthesis
• s- and p-block complexes
• low-coordination modes
• main group synthesis and catalysis