Syntheses, structures and properties of primarily nanosized homo/heterometallic palladium CO/PR3-ligated clusters

Syntheses, properties and structures of nanosized palladium CO/PR3-ligated homo- and heterometallic clusters containing up to 165 metal atoms are the focus of this review. The work discussed is primarily that of the authors and their coworkers. We propose that the unparalleled variety of structural types and the distinctive reactivities of neutral Pd-n(CO)(x)(PR3)(y) clusters composed of zerovalent Pd atoms are a consequence of relatively weak Pd-L(ligand) and Pd(0)-Pd(0) interactions that result from the stable 5s(0)4d(10) closed-shell electron configuration of atomic Pd in its ground state.