Carbene Stabilization of Diarsenic: From Hypervalency to Allotropy

Abstract

Diarsenic as a Lewis acid: An N-heterocyclic carbene stabilized diarsenic molecule [L:AsAs:L] (L:=:C{N(2,6-iPr2C6H3)CH}2) (see scheme) has been prepared by potassium/graphite reduction of [L:AsCl3]. The nature of the bonding in this molecule was probed by DFT computations.