Three-centre single-electron bond caught in a cage
Fullerene cage stabilises bond never before seen in lanthanide chemistry
The interior surfaces of fullerenes allow researchers the opportunity to isolate otherwise unstable metallic clusters. Now, a team of scientists from China and Germany has reported a new example of a fullerene cage stabilising a trimetallic carbide cluster, which features an unprecedented example of an all-lanthanide three-centre single-electron bond.