Ray-Dutt twist
Encyclopedia
The Ray-Dutt twist is a mechanism proposed for the racemization
of octahedral complexes containing three bidentate chelate rings. Such complexes typically adopt an octahedral molecular geometry
in their ground state
s and are thus chiral. The pathway entails formation of an intermediate of C2v point group symmetry
. An alternative pathway that also does not break any metal-ligand bonds is called the Bailar twist
. Both of these mechanism product complexes wherein the ligating atoms (X in the scheme) are arranged in an approximate trigonal bipyramid. This pathway is called the Ray-Dutt twist in honor of the inorganic chemist
s who proposed this process.
Racemization
In chemistry, racemization refers to the converting of an enantiomerically pure mixture into a mixture where more than one of the enantiomers are present...
of octahedral complexes containing three bidentate chelate rings. Such complexes typically adopt an octahedral molecular geometry
Octahedral molecular geometry
In chemistry, octahedral molecular geometry describes the shape of compounds where in six atoms or groups of atoms or ligands are symmetrically arranged around a central atom, defining the vertices of an octahedron...
in their ground state
Ground state
The ground state of a quantum mechanical system is its lowest-energy state; the energy of the ground state is known as the zero-point energy of the system. An excited state is any state with energy greater than the ground state...
s and are thus chiral. The pathway entails formation of an intermediate of C2v point group symmetry
Symmetry group
The symmetry group of an object is the group of all isometries under which it is invariant with composition as the operation...
. An alternative pathway that also does not break any metal-ligand bonds is called the Bailar twist
Bailar twist
The Bailar twist is a mechanism proposed for the racemization of octahedral complexes containing three bidentate chelate rings. Such complexes typically adopt an octahedral molecular geometry and are thus chiral. One pathway by which these compounds can racemize is via the formation of a trigonal...
. Both of these mechanism product complexes wherein the ligating atoms (X in the scheme) are arranged in an approximate trigonal bipyramid. This pathway is called the Ray-Dutt twist in honor of the inorganic chemist
Inorganic chemistry
Inorganic chemistry is the branch of chemistry concerned with the properties and behavior of inorganic compounds. This field covers all chemical compounds except the myriad organic compounds , which are the subjects of organic chemistry...
s who proposed this process.