Acta Chimica Sinica ›› 2025, Vol. 83 ›› Issue (12): 1576-1591.DOI: 10.6023/A25080274 Previous Articles     Next Articles

Special Issue: “中国青年化学家”合辑

Review

零价态主族元素化合物的合成、结构与反应性质研究进展

陈明, 莫贞波*()   

  1. 南开大学 化学学院 元素有机化学全国重点实验室有机新物质创造前沿科学中心 天津 300071
  • 投稿日期:2025-08-06 发布日期:2025-10-10
  • 作者简介:

    陈明, 南开大学化学学院2022级在读博士研究生, 主要研究方向为低价主族元素化学及小分子活化.

    莫贞波, 博士, 南开大学化学学院研究员, 博士生导师. 长期从事主族元素化学和金属有机化学方向的研究工作, 在新型低价态主族元素化合物的合成方面取得了一系列研究成果, 迄今在Chem、J. Am. Chem. Soc.、Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.、Nat. Commun.等国际著名期刊杂志发表学术论文40余篇.

    “中国青年化学家”专辑.

  • 基金资助:
    国家重点研发计划项目(2023YFF0723900); 国家自然科学基金项目(22071124); 国家自然科学基金项目(22371130); 国家自然科学基金项目(223B2109); 国家自然科学基金项目(22188101); 国家自然科学基金项目(22221002); 南开大学新有机质前沿科学研究中心项目(C029215001); 中央高校基本科研业务费专项资金(63206007); 南开大学

Recent Advances in the Synthesis, Structural Characterization, and Reactivity of Zero-Valent Main Group Compounds

Ming Chen, Zhenbo Mo*()   

  1. State Key Laboratory of Elemento-organic Chemistry, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071
  • Received:2025-08-06 Published:2025-10-10
  • Contact: * E-mail: zhenbo.mo@nankai.edu.cn
  • About author:

    For the VSI “Rising Stars in Chemistry”.

  • Supported by:
    National Key R&D Program of China(2023YFF0723900); National Natural Science Foundation of China(22071124); National Natural Science Foundation of China(22371130); National Natural Science Foundation of China(223B2109); National Natural Science Foundation of China(22188101); National Natural Science Foundation of China(22221002); Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter at Nankai University(C029215001); Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(63206007); Nankai University.

Zero-valent main group elements give rise to a diverse array of allotropes through various bonding modes, such as covalent network bonding, molecular aggregation and polymeric chain formation. This structural diversity not only reflects the intrinsic bonding flexibility of these elements but also showcases their significant application potential in synthetic chemistry and the development of advanced new materials. In recent years, with the rapid advancement of main group element chemistry, ligand-stabilized low-valent main group element compounds have garnered increasing attention. Compounds containing zero-valent main group elements feature electron-rich main group element centers and exhibit extremely high reactivity, making their stable existence difficult to achieve for a long time. With the design and development of novel ligands for low-valent main group elements, a series of groundbreaking zero-valent main group element compounds have been successfully synthesized and characterized.​ Among these, ligand-stabilized mono- and dinuclear zero-valent main group element compounds exhibit unique electronic structures, and their isolation and characterization enhance our understanding of the bonding mechanisms associated with zero-valent main group elements. Since the differences in the electronic properties of ligands significantly affect the bonding modes between zero-valent element atoms and ligands, such compounds usually exhibit unique electronic structural characteristics and a rich variety of chemical reactivities. Furthermore, their excellent solub ility in common organic solvents greatly broadens their applications in homogeneous synthetic chemistry. Additionally, due to the unusual oxidation states of the central elements, zero-valent main group element compounds show promise in small molecule activation. This review mainly summarizes the synthesis of zero-valent compounds of elements from Group 13 to 15 in the p-block of the periodic table as well as a few alkaline earth metal elements in the s-block. The article elaborates on their isolation, electronic structures and bonding modes, and unique chemical reaction properties while addressing the challenges they face in this field and outlining future development directions.

Key words: main group elements chemistry, zero-valent, ligand, synthetic chemistry, small molecules activation