Solid State Structures of Cyclopentadienyllithium, -sodium, and -potassium. Determination by High-Resolution Powder Diffraction

The structures of MCp (M = Li, Na, K; Cp = cyclopentadienyl), some of the most important precursors in synthetic organometallic chemistry, have been investigated. All three compounds form polymeric “multidecker structures”. In LiCp and NaCp the metal atoms form a “string of pearls” whereas the potassium atoms in KCp are arranged in a zigzag chain that interacts with neighboring chains.