The Synthesis and Solution Stability of Alkoxide Precursors

The aim of this chapter is to serve as a guide in understanding the principles in thechemical approaches to and stability of the metal and silicon alkoxide precursors.The major accent is made on the overview of the accessible precursor compoundsapplicable in solgel technology, focusing on their synthesis and reactivity includingthe chemistry behind the solgel process. The chapter provides an insight intothe synthesis of homometallic precursors (see section “Synthesis ofHomometallic Precursors”), synthesis of heterometallic precursors (see section“Synthesis of Heterometallic Alkoxide Precursors”), solution stability withrespect to formation of oxoalkoxides (see section “Solution Stability with Respectto Formation of Oxoalkoxides”), solution stability with respect to solvolysis (seesection “Solution Stability with Respect to Solvolysis”), and, finally, a shortreview summarizing the literature data on individual alkoxide complexes appliedas precursors (see section “Individual Alkoxide Complexes Applied as Precursors”)considering separately the homometallic species (see section“Homometallic Precursors”) and the heterometallic ones – so-called singlesourceprecursors (see section “Heterometallic Precursors”). Finally, a briefoverview of the modern concepts treating the transformation of precursors intomaterials is also provided (see section “The Chemistry of Alkoxide Precursors’Transformation into Oxide Materials in Sol-Gel Technology”).