Cover Feature: Bonding in Low‐Coordinated Organoarsenic and Organoantimony Compounds: A Threshold Photoelectron Spectroscopic Investigation (Chem. Eur. J. 35/2023)

Biradical formation vs. π-bonding: The low-valent, highly reactive pnictogen compounds PnCH3 (Pn=As, Sb) have been generated in situ by controlled homolysis of Pn(CH3)3 in the gas phase and investigated by photoelectron–photoion coincidence spectroscopy. This allowed us to establish trends in nature's strategy to stabilize low-valent pnictogen species either by tautomerization with concomitant multiple bond formation (HPn=CH2) or by biradical formation (Pn−CH3). The graphic illustrates the energetic steps separating the isomers of these fundamentally important group 15 compounds. More information can be found in the Research Article by C. Lichtenberg, P. Hemberger, I. Fischer and co-workers (DOI: 10.1002/chem.202300637).