Molecular structure design and synthetic approaches to the heterometallic alkoxide complexes (soft chemistry approach to inorganic materials by the eyes of a crystallographer)

General principles of formation and stability of the heterometallic alkoxides existing due to Lewis Acid–Base interaction, isomorphous substitution and heterometallic metal–metal bonds are discussed. The molecular structure design approach based on the choice of a proper molecular structure type and completing it with the ligands, providing both the necessary number of donor atoms and the sterical protection of the metal–oxygen core, is presented. Its applications in prediction of the composition and structure of single source precursors of inorganic materials are demonstrated for such classes of compounds as oxoalkoxides, alkoxide (beta)-diketonates, alkoxide carboxylates, derivatives of functional alcohols, metallatranes and metallasiloxanes.