Dinucleating

Dinucleating is a term used primarily in chemistry to describe systems that involve two metal centers or two nucleation sites in a coordinated fashion. In coordination chemistry, a dinucleating ligand is a multidentate, often rigid scaffold that features two donor sites connected by a defined linker. This arrangement binds two metal ions simultaneously, creating a dinuclear or bimetallic core. Donor atoms commonly include nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, or sulfur, and the linker sets the metal–metal distance and relative orientation.

Dinuclear complexes formed by dinucleating ligands are of interest because the proximity of the two metal centers can enable cooperative reactivity not accessible to mononuclear species. Such complexes can participate in multi-electron transformations, cooperative substrate activation, and unusual redox chemistry. Common motifs include bridging ligands that span the two metals and preorganized pockets that enforce a specific geometry. Synthesis typically involves combining a dinucleating ligand with two equivalents of metal precursors under controlled conditions, and characterization relies on X-ray crystallography, magnetic measurements, and spectroscopic methods to confirm dinuclear binding and metal–metal interactions.

In crystallization science, dinucleation refers to the formation of two crystalline nuclei during a phase transition. Dinucleating agents or conditions can influence this process, affecting grain structure, twin formation, and crystallization kinetics. While the term is more common in materials science, it highlights scenarios where the emergence of two nuclei governs the evolution of a material’s microstructure.

See also: dinuclear complex, dinuclear metal center, bimetallic coordination.