Synthesis,redox properties,and X-ray diffraction structure of 2,3-bis(ethylthio)-N-(p-MeOC6H4)maleimide

Refluxing 2,3-dichloromaleic anhydride with p-anisidine in benzene with water removal gives the condensation product 2,3-dichloro-N-(p-MeOC₆H₄)maleimide (1) 75% yield. This new maleimide compound reacts with added ethanethiol in the presence of Et₃N or DBU to furnish the bidentate sulfide ligand 2,3-bis(ethylthio)-N-(p-MeOC₆H₄)maleimide (2) in 85% yield. Each product has been characterized in solution by IR, NMR, and UV-vis spectroscopies, and the solid-state structure of 2,3-bis(ethylthio)-N-(p-MeOC₆H₄)maleimide was unequivocally established by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. 2,3-bis(Ethylthio)-N-(p-MeOC₆H₄)maleimide crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c, a = 20.035(3)Å, b = 9.188(1)Å, c = 16.887(2)Å, = 93.696(2)°, V = 3102.3(8)ų, Z = 8, and D_calcd = 1.385 mg/m³; R = 0.0268, R_w = 0.0676 for 2025 reflections with I > 2 (I). The nature of the LUMO in 2,3-bis(ethylthio)-N-(p-MeOC₆H₄)maleimide (2) has been determined by extended Hückel molecular orbital calculations, and these data are discussed relative to the cyclic voltammetry results and other structurally relevant compounds prepared in our labs.