Abstract:
Beryllium is the least investigated non-radioactive element. This is due to the alleged extreme toxicity of the element and its compounds. Therefore, the coordination chemistry of beryllium is extremely underdeveloped. However, with its unique place in the periodic table of the element as the smallest metal atom and the most electronegative s-block element, it exhibits unique properties. Beryllium compounds are some of the hardest known Lewis acids and due to the small size of the Be atom, unprecedented reactivity is observed. Furthermore, beryllium element bonds are very covalent, which enables unique insights into bonding situations. These properties are harnessed to obtain an in depth understanding of metal ligand interactions. These findings are then utilized for the synthesis of novel bond types and for molecule activation processes.