title: Jahn-Teller distortions in transition metal compounds, and their importance in functional molecular and inorganic materials.
abstract: This tutorial review discusses the structural and electronic consequences of the Jahn-Teller effect in transition metal complexes, focussing on copper(ii) compounds which tend to be the most studied. The nature of a Jahn-Teller distortion in molecular complexes and extended lattices can be manipulated by application of pressure or temperature, by doping a molecule into a host lattice, or simply by molecular design. Many of these results have been achieved using compounds with a trans-[CuX(4)Y(2)] coordination sphere, which seems to afford copper centres that are particularly sensitive to their environment. Jahn-Teller distortions lead to some unusual phenomena in molecular magnetism, and are important to the functionality of important classes of conducting and superconducting ceramics.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, UK. m.a.halcrow@leeds.ac.uk
authors.forename: Malcolm A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Halcrow