Metallate

"Metalate" redirects here. For the chemical reaction, see Metalation.

Metallate or metalate is the name given to any complex anion containing a metal ligated to two or more atoms and/or groups of atoms.

Typically, the metal is one of the transition elements and the ligand is oxygen or another chalcogenide, a cyanide group or a halogen (though others are known).

The chalcogenide metallates are known as oxometallates, thiometallates, selenometallates and tellurometallates; the cyanide metallates are known as cyanometallates; the halogenide metalates are known as halogenometallates.

Oxometallates include permanganate MnO−4, chromate CrO2−4, vanadate VO−3 or VO3−4 and tungstate WO2−4.

Thiometallates include tetrathiovanadate VS3−4, tetrathiomolybdate MoS2−4, tetrathiotungstate WS2−4and similar ions.^[1]

Cyanometallates include ferricyanide [Fe(CN)₆]³⁻, ferrocyanide [Fe(CN)₆]⁴⁻ and dicyanoargentate(I) [Ag(CN)₂]⁻.

Halogenometallates include tetrachloroaluminate [AlCl₄]⁻, tetrachloronickelate(II) [NiCl₄]²⁻ and hexafluoroplatinate(V) [PtCl₆]⁻.

Others include tetranitratoaluminate [Al(NO₃)₄]⁻ and tetrahydroxozincate [Zn(OH)₄]²⁻.

Metallate is also used as a verb by bioinorganic chemistry to describe the act of adding metal atoms or ions to a site (synthetic ligand or protein).

See also

• Polyoxometalate
• Heteropolymetalate