Formation of polynuclear palladium complexes with the benzimidazole-2-thiolate anion

The reactions of palladium(II) salts with 2-mercaptobenzimidazole (HL) and its 5,6-difluorinated derivative (HL^F) were investigated. In the presence of hydrochloric acid, PdCl₂ and K₂PdCl₄ react with HL and HL^F in the ethanol—water and acetonitrile—water systems to form the mono-nuclear dicationic complexes Pd(HL)₄]Cl₂ (1) and Pd(L^F)₄]Cl₂ (2). In the absence of HCl, the reactions afford the tetranuclear complex Pd₄(L)₂(μ₃-S,N-(L))₂(μS,N-(L))₄] (3). The reaction of triethylamine with an ethanolic solution of 3 leads to degradation of 3 and the formation of the lantern-type dinuclear complex Pd₂(μ₂-(L)₄] (4), in which the palladium atoms are in the nonequivalent coordination environment, PdN₄ and PdS₄. The reaction of K₂PdCl₄ with HL or HL^F in the THF—water or acetonitrile—water systems (for the reaction with HL^F) in the presence of Et₃N produces the lantern-type dinuclear complexes Pd₂(μS,N′-(L³))₄] and Pd₂(μ-S,N′-(L^F))₄] (5), in which the metal atoms are in the equivalent coordination environment (cis-PdN₂S₂). Dedicated to Academician G. A. Tolstikov on the occasion of his 75th birthday. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 1, pp. 45–52, January, 2008.