Trimethyltin cyanide

Two recent structure determinations by Schlemper and Britton (Inorg. Chcm. 5, 408, 511 (1966)), show that trimethyltin cyanide is composed of planar (CHj)jSn groups which are strong into linear chains by CN bridges. They also show that the corresponding germanium compound (see section IIA) is molecular with the primary and possible only from possessing the normal cyanide structure. 

Trimethyltin cyanide has a remarkable structure in which disordered CN groups are symmetrically disposed on either side of planar (CH3)3Sn groups to produce polymeric chains containing trigonal bipyramidal five-coordinate tin. 

Nucleophilic addition of halides or cyanide to Me3SnCl leads to a series of salts 30b-d, 39a, 39b and 40 containing trimethyltin anions with a variety of cations (equation 4)219. 

Trimethyltin(IV) cyanide, Me3SnCN, has a similar chain structure, 114, with trigonal bipyramidal tin and equalized Sn-C and Sn-N bond distances this leads to the interpretation that this structure is best described as an arrangement of Me3Sn+ and CN ions with the CN ordered in direction along an axis, but disordered in orientation along this axis, with perhaps a small amount of covalent... 

Fatal if swallowed 2 Danger >5 to <50 Acrolein, hydrogen cyanide, osmium tetroxide, sodium azide, sodium cyanide, trimethyltin chloride... 

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