Common Features in the Crystal Structures of the Compounds Bis(dimethylstibanyl)oxane and ‐sulfane,and the Minerals Valentinite and Stibnite (Grauspießglanz)

Bis(dimethylstibanyl)oxane ( 1 ) and ‐sulfane ( 2 ), the two simplest organoelement species with an Sb–E–Sb fragment (E = O, S), were prepared by alkaline hydrolysis of bromodimethylstibane and by oxidation of tetramethyldistibane with sulfur 18], respectively. As shown by an x‐ray structure analysis of compound 1 (m. p. < –20 °C; P2₁2₁2₁, a = 675.9(2), b = 803.1(2), c = 1666.8(4) pm at –70 ± 2 °C; Z = 4; R1 = 0.042), the molecules (O–Sb 198.8 and 209.9 pm, Sb–O–Sb 123.0°) adopt a syn‐anti conformation in the solid state and are arranged in zigzag chains along 010] via weak intermolecular O‥Sb interactions (258.5 pm, Sb–O‥Sb 117.8°, O‥Sb–O 173.5°) making use, however, of only one Me₂Sb moiety. Primary and secondary bond lengths and angles agree very well with corresponding values published for valentinite, the orthorhombic modification of antimony(III) oxide 3]. Bis(dimethylstibanyl)sulfane ( 2 ) (m. p. 29 to 31 °C) crystallizes in the uncommon space group P6₅22 (a = 927.8(3), c = 1940.9(7) pm at –100 ± 2 °C; Z = 6; R1 = 0.021). Owing to coordination numbers of (1 + 1) and (2 + 2) for both Me₂Sb groups and the sulfur atom, respectively, molecules with an approximate syn‐syn conformation (S–Sb 249.8 pm, Sb–S–Sb 92.35°) build up a three‐dimensional net of double helices which are linked together by Sb‥S contacts (316.4 pm). These parameters shed more light onto the rather complicated structure and bonding situation in stibnite (antimony(III) sulfide 4]). The molecular packing of compound 2 is compared with the structures of relevant inorganic solids, especially with that of β‐quartz 37].