Metallocages for Metal Anions: Highly Charged [Co@Ge ] and [Ru@Sn ] Clusters Featuring Spherically Encapsulated Co and Ru Anions.

Endohedral clusters count as molecular models for intermetallic compounds-a class of compounds in which bonding principles are scarcely understood. Herein we report soluble cluster anions with the highest charges on a single cluster to date. The clusters reflect the close analogy between intermetalloid clusters and corresponding coordination polyhedra in intermetallic compounds.