Zirconium acetylacetonate is the

coordination complex A coordination complex consists of a central atom or ion, which is usually metallic and is called the ''coordination centre'', and a surrounding array of bound molecules or ions, that are in turn known as ''ligands'' or complexing agents. Many ...

with the formula Zr(C₅H₇O₂)₄. It is a common

acetylacetonate Acetylacetone is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is a colorless liquid, classified as a 1,3-diketone. It exists in equilibrium with a tautomer . These tautomers interconvert so rapidly under most conditions that they are tre ...

zirconium Zirconium is a chemical element with the symbol Zr and atomic number 40. The name ''zirconium'' is taken from the name of the mineral zircon, the most important source of zirconium. The word is related to Persian '' zargun'' (zircon; ''zar-gun'', ...

. It is a white solid that exhibits high solubility in nonpolar organic solvents, but not simple hydrocarbons. The complex is prepared by treating

zirconium oxychloride Zirconyl chloride is the inorganic compound with the formula of r4(OH)8(H2O)16l8(H2O)12, more commonly written ZrOCl2·8H2O, and referred to as zirconyl chloride octahydrate. It is a white solid and is the most common water-soluble derivative of ...

with

acetylacetone Acetylacetone is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is a colorless liquid, classified as a 1,3-diketone. It exists in equilibrium with a tautomer . These tautomers interconvert so rapidly under most conditions that they are tre ...

: :ZrOCl₂ + 4 Hacac → Zr(acac)₄ + 2 HCl + H₂O The complex has a square antiprismatic geometry with eight nearly equivalent Zr-O bonds of length 2.19 Å. The molecular

symmetry Symmetry (from grc, συμμετρία "agreement in dimensions, due proportion, arrangement") in everyday language refers to a sense of harmonious and beautiful proportion and balance. In mathematics, "symmetry" has a more precise definit ...

is D₂, i.e. the complex is chiral. Compounds of high coordination number tend to be

stereochemically nonrigid In chemistry and molecular physics, fluxional (or non-rigid) molecules are molecules that undergo dynamics such that some or all of their atoms interchange between symmetry-equivalent positions. Because virtually all molecules are fluxional in som ...

as indicated by the observation of one methyl signal by proton NMR spectroscopy. More volatile than Zr(acac)₄ is the related complex of 1,1,1-trifluoroacetylacetonate.

References

{{zirconium compounds Zirconium(IV) compounds Acetylacetonate complexes