Synthesis, characterization and hydrolytic behavior of new bis(2-pyridylthio)acetate ligand and related organotin(IV) complexes

The new sodium bis(2-pyridylthio)acetate ligand, Na[(pyS)₂CHCO₂], has been prepared in ethanol solution using 2-mercaptopyridine, dibromoacetic acid and NaOH. New mono- and di-organotin(IV) derivatives containing the anionic bis(2-pyridylthio)acetate have been synthesized from reaction between SnR_nCl_4−n (R = Me, Ph and ⁿBu, n = 1-2) acceptors and Na[(pyS)₂CHCO₂]. Mono-nuclear complexes of the type {[(pyS)₂CHCO₂]R_nSnCl_4−n−1} have been obtained and characterized by elemental analyses, FT-IR, ESI-MS, multinuclear (¹H and ¹¹⁹Sn) NMR spectral data and X-ray crystallography. ESI-MS spectra of methanol solution of the complexes show the existence of hydrolysed species. Attempts to crystallize the dimethyltin(IV) derivative (3), from acetonitrile solution yield the dimeric dicarboxylatotetramethyldistannoxane (8), which was characterized by single crystal diffraction analysis.