All-metal aromaticity of cyclo-Bi 3 3− in diuranium and dithorium inverse-sandwich-type complexes
Stephen T. Liddle
Nature Chemistry, Published online: 20 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41557-026-02123-8 Classical understanding of aromaticity has been challenged by its emergence in rings featuring only metal atoms. Now, diuranium and dithorium inverse sandwich complexes featuring a central cyclo-Bi33− unit have been synthesized. These tribismuth rings exhibit exalted diamagnetism and are σ-aromatic, in contrast to the π-aromaticity in analogous tricarbon rings, providing benchmark data for comparisons between organ