Main group organometallic chemistry

Main group organometallic chemistry concerns the preparation and properties of main-group elements directly bonded to carbon.

These bonding aspects influence the structures: Trimethylaluminium, dimethyl beryllium, and methyl lithium are dimers, polymers, and clusters, respectively.

Like their derivatives lacking organic substituents, halides and alkoxide ligands for the later organomain group compounds tend to hydrolyze.

Organophosphorus and silanes exhibit this pattern: Consisting of the terrestrially most abundant elements, main group organometallic compounds have many and often large-scale uses.

Commercially important examples include: Main group organometallic chemistry is sometimes thought to start with publications on the organoarsenic compound called "Cadet's fuming liquid".