[DEUsAroMet] All-Metal Aromaticity:
Definition, Evidence, Use
Aromaticity, a key concept in chemistry, explains the stability and other properties of many carbon-based compounds, including those that are crucial to industry, such as benzene, or those that are even essential to life. One criterion for a molecule's aromaticity is the appearance of ring currents when the substance is exposed to a magnetic field; these currents can be detected indirectly by measuring the so-called chemical shift using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Recently, researchers have been investigating whether this idea can also be applied to compounds that consist only of metals – a concept known as all-metal aromaticity. This could open up exciting possibilities for improving energy storage and transport, as well as for developing advanced quantum technologies.
However, applying the concept of aromaticity to metals is not straightforward. Metallic compounds tend to have more complicated geometric – and therefore electronic – structures, making it more difficult to demonstrate that they behave similarly to aromatic carbon compounds. While some studies have claimed success in demonstrating all-metal aromaticity, clear evidence and a well-defined theoretical framework are still lacking. This gap makes it difficult to fully explore or utilize the potential of this idea.
The DEUsAroMet project brings together experts from different fields - chemistry, physics and theory - to address these challenges. By combining experimental and theoretical approaches, the team aims to provide solid evidence for all-metal aromaticity, establish a clear scientific framework and explore practical applications.