Vibrational spectroscopy and solid-state MAS NMR studies of mercury(II) acetate complexes [Hg(X)OAc]: Crystal structure of [Hg(CN)OAc]

The syntheses of Hg(X)OAc] (OAc=acetate; X=CN, Cl, Br, I, SCN) are reported, and the crystal structure of the cyano complex has been determined. The asymmetric unit contains two Hg(CN)OAc] molecules which show almost linear C–Hg–O bonding (Hg–C=2.019(13), 2.016(11) Å; Hg–O=2.067(9), 2.058(8) Å; C–Hg–O=176.0(4), 172.3(5)°), with only one of the two acetate oxygen atoms bound directly to the mercury atom. Secondary HgO and HgN contacts in the range 2.6–2.8 Å are about 0.2 Å shorter than the secondary HgO contacts in the corresponding X=Ph complex. The ν(HgX) and ν(HgO) modes have been assigned in the IR and Raman spectra of Hg(X)OAc] (X=CN, Cl, Br, I, SCN); these spectra show that the complexes have structures with essentially linear O–Hg–X bonding, similar to that of the cyanide. Solid-state ¹⁹⁹Hg MAS NMR spectra have been recorded for HgX₂ (X=CN, Cl) and Hg(X)OAc] (X=Me, Ph, CN, Cl, SCN), and spinning sideband analysis has been used to determine the ¹⁹⁹Hg shielding anisotropy and asymmetry parameters Δσ and η. A semi-empirical method for the calculation of the local paramagnetic contribution to the shielding is given, and a linear relationship between Δσ and the isotropic shielding σ_iso which is predicted by this model for linear HgXY species is found to be obeyed reasonably well by the experimental data for HgX₂ and Hg(X)OAc]. The same method is used to analyse the effects of secondary bonding on the ¹⁹⁹Hg shielding parameters. The ¹³C MAS NMR spectrum of Hg(SCN)OAc] shows ²J(¹⁹⁹Hg¹³C) and ³J(¹⁹⁹Hg¹³C) coupling to the acetate carbon atoms, with magnitudes similar to those found previously for Hg(OAc)₂. The CN carbon signals in Hg(CN)₂ and Hg(CN)OAc] are split into 2:1 doublets due to residual dipolar coupling to the quadrupolar ¹⁴N nucleus.