organometallic compound

organometallic compound, any member of a class of substances containing at least one metal-to-carbon bond in which the carbon is part of an organic group. Organometallic compounds constitute a very large group of substances that have played a major role in the development of the science of chemistry. They are used to a large extent as catalysts (substances that increase the rate of reactions without themselves being consumed) and as intermediates in the laboratory and in industry. The class includes such compounds as ferrocene, a remarkably stable compound in which an iron atom is sandwiched between two hydrocarbon rings.

Organometallic compounds are typically discussed in terms of the metal as either main-group compounds or transition metal compounds. The main-group metals of organometallic compounds are typically considered to be those of the S-block (groups 1 and 2) and the heavier elements of the p-block (groups 13–15) in the periodic table of elements. The transition metals include those elements in the d- and f-blocks (groups 3–12).

The physical and chemical properties of organometallic compounds vary greatly. Most are solids, particularly those whose hydrocarbon groups are ring-shaped or aromatic, but some are liquids and some are gases. Their heat and oxidation stability vary widely. Some are very stable, but a number of compounds of electropositive elements such as lithium, sodium, and aluminum are spontaneously flammable. Many organometallic compounds are highly toxic, especially those that are volatile.

The properties of the organometallic compounds depend in large measure on the type of carbon-metal bonds involved. Some are ordinary covalent bonds, in which pairs of electrons are shared between atoms. Others are multicentre covalent bonds, in which the bonding involves more than two atoms. A third type are ionic bonds, in which the bonding electron pair is donated by only one atom. In donor-acceptor bonds, the metal atom is connected to hydrocarbons with multiple bonds between carbon atoms.

Where metal atoms form covalent bonds with carbon atoms, the electrons are usually shared unequally. As a result, the bond is polarized—one end is more negative than the other. The extent of polarization depends on the strength with which the metal atom binds electrons. Organometallic compounds range in polar power from methylpotassium, in which the bond is almost like certain ionic bonds, to lead, which bonds with carbon with very little polarization.

Importance of organometallic compounds

Because of bond polarity, many organometallic compounds have reactivities that have made them important in chemical synthesis. The organomagnesium halides (Grignard reagents), for example, are used widely in synthetic organic chemistry, as are organolithium and organoboron compounds. Alkylaluminum compounds are also employed in organic synthesis. Used with titanium salts, they are important catalysts in the polymerization of unsaturated hydrocarbons, such as ethylene and propylene. The mechanism of action of the titanium-aluminum alkyl catalysts probably involves interaction between the titanium atoms and the double bonds of the hydrocarbons.

Organometallic compounds containing lead, tin, and mercury are all commercially significant. A large number of organotin compounds, for example, are used as pharmaceuticals, pesticides, stabilizers for polyvinyl chloride, and fire retardants. Methylmercury has caused severe pollution problems as a result of its toxicity. This fact has led to stringent controls on the discharge of mercury from chemical plants into rivers, lakes, and oceans.

Carbon monoxide reacts readily with many transition-metal atoms to form metal carbonyls, themselves a class of organometallics. One of the earliest to be discovered was tetracarbonylnickel, a volatile nickel compound that became the basis of a process for purifying nickel. Metal carbonyls are employed as catalysts in many reactions in the petrochemical industry.