Alkali Metal and Trimethylsilyl Carbamoselenothioates – Synthesis,Structure, and some Reactions

This paper describes the synthesis and some reactions of potassium, rubidium, cesium and trimethylsilyl carbamoselenothioates. The potassium salts were synthesized in 70–80 % yields by reacting the corresponding thiocarbamoyl chlorides with potassium selenide in acetonitrile. Furthermore, the rubidium and cesium salts were obtained in good yields by treating the trimethylsilyl esters with the corresponding metal fluorides. The crystal structure of acetonitrile‐solvated potassium N,N‐dimethylcarbamoselenothioate consisted of dimeric units, featuring μ‐carbamoselenothioate anions associated with potassium cations that are located on the upper and lower sides of a plane involving two opposing carbamoselenothioate groups. These heavier alkali metal salts readily reacted with alkyl halides to give both S‐ and Se‐alkyl esters. The reaction of the potassium salts with trimethylsilyl chlorides forms S‐ and Se‐trimethylsilyl carbamoselenothioates which are in equilibrium. The reaction of the salts and silyl esters with organo Group‐14 and ‐15 elements halides gave exclusively the corresponding Se‐substituted products in good yields.