Polyhedral rearrangements in clusters

Alternative reaction mechanisms for the rearrangements of cluster compounds containing from five to twelve atoms (or units of atoms) are deduced using purely geometrical arguments and the fact that cluster structures are determined by strong attractive forces between component units. This forms the first stage of a two-stage procedure. The results of the first stage apply to all clusters of a given geometry and the second stage involves quantitative consideration of the electronic states of a given system to determine the relative energetics of the geometrically determined mechanisms.