Gotta Chelate 'Em All

Quick, someone call TOC ROFL; there's a fantastic new abstract graphic in town:

Source: JOC | B. Fischer, Bar-Ilan

Yes, that's Pac-Man, in all his NAMCO glory, chomping on a chelated soft metal ion. Turns out these compounds excel at wrapping up "soft/borderline" metals (Cu, Zn, Pb, Hg, Fe) and stopping radical reactions in their tracks.

Maybe this entry might also complement Derek's "Things I won't work with," since cooking up these (wait for it) methylenediphosphonotetrathioates proceeds as follows: Add super-stoichiometric ethanedithiol to hot bromoform and aluminum salts, and stir in starting material (a bis-phosphoryl-dichloride); heat for 5 days.

P.S. - Don't forget that the two-step process evolves four equivalents of thiirane....yum!