Synthesis, structure, and properties of a T-shaped 14-electron stiboranyl-gold complex. Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • A cyclic stiboranyl-gold complex (1) supported by two 1,8-naphthalenediyl linkers has been synthesized and structurally characterized. The gold atom of this complex adopts a T-shaped geometry and is separated from the antimony center by only 2.76 . Surprisingly, the trivalent gold atom of this complex is involved in an aurophilic interaction, a phenomenon typically only observed for monovalent gold complexes. This phenomenon indicates that the stiboranyl ligand possesses strong -donating properties making the trivalent gold atom of 1 electron rich. This view is supported by DFT calculations as well as Au L(3)- and Sb K-edge XANES spectra which reveal that 1 may also be described as an aurate-stibonium derivative. In agreement with this view, complex 1 shows no reactivity toward the halides Cl(-), Br(-), and I(-). It does, however, rapidly react with F(-) to form an unprecedented anionic aurate fluorostiborane complex ([2](-)) which has been isolated as the tetra-n-butylammonium salt. The increased coordination number of the antimony center in this anionic complex ([2](-)) does not notably affect the Au-Sb separation (2.77 ) or the geometry at the gold atom which remains T-shaped.

published proceedings

  • J Am Chem Soc

author list (cited authors)

  • Wade, C. R., Lin, T., Nelson, R. C., Mader, E. A., Miller, J. T., & Gabbai, F. P.

citation count

  • 70

complete list of authors

  • Wade, Casey R||Lin, Tzu-Pin||Nelson, Ryan C||Mader, Elizabeth A||Miller, Jeffrey T||Gabbaiï, François P

publication date

  • June 2011