Publisher Summary This review is concerned with the neglected class of inorganic compounds, which contain ions of the same element in two different formal states of oxidation. Although the number of references cited in our review show that many individual examples of this class have been studied, yet they have very rarely been treated as a class, and there has never before, to our knowledge, been a systematic attempt to classify their properties in terms of their electronic and molecular structures. In the past, systems containing an element in two different states of oxidation have gone by various names, the terms “mixed valence,” nonintegral valence,” “mixed oxidation,” “oscillating valency,” and “controlled valency” being used interchangeably. Actually, none of these is completely accurate or all-embracing, but in our hope to avoid the introduction of yet another definition, we have somewhat arbitrarily adopted the phrase “mixed valence” for the description of these systems. The concept of resonance among various valence bond structures is one of the cornerstones of modern organic chemistry.

Mixed Valence Chemistry-A Survey and Classification

Thiolato-complexes of the transition metals

Mixed-valence (MV) compounds are excellent model systems for the investigation of basic electron-transfer (ET) or charge-transfer (CT) phenomena. These issues are important in complex biophysical processes such as photosynthesis as well as in artificial electronic devices that are based on organic conjugated materials. Organic MV compounds are effective hole-transporting materials in organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), solar cells, and photochromic windows. However, the importance of organic mixed-valence chemistry should not be seen in terms of the direct applicability of these species but the wealth of knowledge about ET phenomena that has been gained through their study. The great variety of organic redox centers and spacer moieties that may be combined in MV systems as well as the ongoing refinement of ET theories and methods of investigation prompted enormous interest in organic MV compounds in the last decades and show the huge potential of this class of compounds. The goal of this Review is to give an overview of the last decade in organic mixed valence chemistry and to elucidate its impact on modern functional materials chemistry.

Georg H. Czerlinski

Papers

A Mixed-valence Copper Complex with Thiol Compounds