Polysulfide ligands synthesis

Reactions of metal halides with polysulfide dianions are useful methods for the synthesis of polysulfido complexes of main group elements and transition metals. In most of these reactions, similarly to other methods, the chain lengths and coordination types of the polysulfide ligands depend on the other ligands coordinated to the metal, on the ratio between the metal and sulfur, on the reaction temperature, and other parameters. 

We previously reported the synthesis of thiol-modified silica-polyamine composite using ethylene sulfide. Although the reaction of ethylene sulfide with WP-1 gave a material that had excellent mercury capture characteristics, this ligand is toxic and difficult to make and handle. In addition, ethylene sulfide polymerizes with itself in the presence of nucleophiles therefore, we could not tell if we were dealing with an amino-thiol ligand (Fig. 16 ) or a polysulfide ligand (Fig. 165).27... 

A great variety of binary Mo-S complex anions is formed and can be isolated in reactions of the tetrathiomolybdate anion [MoS ] " with various suinde and polysulfide anions. The nature of the anionic products that can be isolated from these reactions depends on (a) the amount of excess sulfur used (and the types of ligands present in the reaction mixtures), (b) the type of counterion used in the isolation of the complex anions, and (c) the type of solvent employed in the synthetic procedure. In a recent article, we described a scheme that interrelates the various [Mo2(S),(S2)6-,] anions. In this scheme (Fig. 1), any of the six homologs can hypothetically be obtained from any other by either the addition of sulfur, or the abstraction of sulfur by triphenylphosphine. Experimentally, the correctness of this scheme has been verified by the successful synthesis of most of the [Mo2(S) (S2)6 ] complexes, or of their internal redox isomers. In the [Mo2(S), (82)6 series, the homologs with n = 4, 5, and 6 have been characterized structurally. Those with n = 2 and 3 have been characterized structurally as the internal-redox isomers, [(S4)Mo(S)(//-S)2(S)Mo S2)] (ref. 3) and... 

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