Heavy-metal aromatic and conjugated species: rings, oligomers, and chains of tin in Li(9)(-)(x)EuSn(6+)(x), Li(9)(-)(x)CaSn(6+)(x), Li(5)Ca(7)Sn(11), Li(6)Eu(5)Sn(9), LiMgEu(2)Sn(3), and LiMgSr(2)Sn(3).

The title compounds were synthesized from the elements by heating the corresponding mixtures at high temperature. Their structures were determined from single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Li(9)(-)(x)()EuSn(6+)(x)(), Li(9)(-)(x)()CaSn(6+)(x)(), Li(5)Ca(7)Sn(11), and Li(6)Eu(5)Sn(9) contain columns of stacked aromatic pentagons of Sn(5)(6)(-) that are analogous to the cyclopentadienyl anion C(5)H(5)(-). The pentagons are separated with Ca(2+) or Eu(2+) in the columns and resemble a polymeric metallocene. In addition to the columns, the isostructural Li(9)(-)(x)()EuSn(6+)(x)() and Li(9)(-)(x)()CaSn(6+)(x)() contain isolated tin atoms and bent tin trimers while Li(5)Ca(7)Sn(11) and Li(6)Eu(5)Sn(9) contain flat zigzag hexamers and flat zigzag infinite chains of tin, respectively. The isostructural LiMgEu(2)Sn(3) and LiMgSr(2)Sn(3) do not contain columns of pentagons but only flat zigzag infinite chains of tin. The aromaticity of the pentagons and the conjugation of the pi-systems of the hexamers and the infinite chains are discussed. The title compounds are also characterized by magnetic and conductivity measurements.