Synthesis and structure of tri-m-tolylbismuth dicarboxylates

Tri-m-tolylbismuth bis(2-methoxybenzoate) (I) (84%), tri-m-tolylbismuth dibenzoate (II) (91%), and tri-m-tolylbismuth bis(trichloroacetate) (III) (92%) have been synthesized via the reaction between tri-m-tolylbismuth, carboxylic acid, and hydrogen peroxide. According to X-ray diffraction data, a bismuth atom in compounds I–III have a distorted trigonal bipyramidal coordination (disregarding the additional coordination of carbonyl oxygen atoms) to m-tolyl ligands in equatorial positions. The Bi-C bonds in compounds I, II, and III range within 2.193(3)–2.228(5) Å, and the Bi-O and Bi…O(=C) distances are 2.267(3), 2.282(3) Å and 2.791(6), 2.895(6) Å in I; 2.293(2), 2.296(3) Å and 2.815, 2.905(5) Å in II; and 2.278(4), 2.300(4) Å and 3.008(9), 3.115(9) Å in III. The equatorial CBiC angles on the side of Bi…O(=C) contacts are considerably enlarged, thus decreasing the other two angles (150.6°, 104.7°, and 104.7° in I, 140.2°, 107.4°, and 112.3° in II, and 138.0°, 110.1°, and 111.0° in III).