Coordination complexes incorporating pyrophosphate: Structural overview and exploration of their diverse magnetic, catalytic and biological properties

Current attention continues to revolve around the chemistry and biochemistry associated with polyphosphate anions because of their importance in biology. A pivotal intermediate within this family is the pyrophosphate tetraanion, P2O74-. Considering its biological relevance and the multidentate nature that makes it an ideal ligand in the field of the coordination chemistry, there is a growing interest in the use of this anion in building new class of molecules/compounds for different purposes. While the total number of characterized structures still remains modest, several new pyrophosphate-containing coordination complexes have been reported in the last decade, as well as different solid-state structures. This review focuses on the structural, magnetic, and biological properties of coordination complexes incorporating the pyrophosphate ligand reported to date. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.