The inversion of tetrahedral p-block element compounds: general trends and the relation to the second-order Jahn–Teller effect

). More fundamentally, the second-order Jahn-Teller theorem is disclosed as suitable to rationalize substituent and central element effects. Bond analysis tools give further insights into the preference of eight valence electron systems with four substituents to be tetrahedral. Hence, this study develops a model to understand, memorize, and predict the angular flexibility of tetrahedral species. Perceiving the tetrahedron not as forcingly rigid but as a dynamic structural entity might leverage new approaches and visions for adaptive matter.