Although several inorganic analogues of cyclopentadiene have been reported with group-15 elements, examples featuring the heavier elements Sb and Bi remain scarce. Now, a Bi5 ring has been stabilized between two Nb(cyclopentadienyl) units, forming a triple-decker sandwich structure; the bonding analysis indicates that a Nb–Nb bond goes through the centre of the Bi5 plane.
- Yu-He Xu
- Xing Yang
- Zhong-Ming Sun