Diphosphine derivatives: Part 5. Ligand behaviour and vibrational spectra of coordinated tetraalkyl-1,2-dithioxodi-λ5-phosphanes (tetraalkyldiphosphine disulphides)

Vibrational data are reported for complexes of tetraethyl-,tetrapropyl-and tetrabutyl-1,2-dithioxodi-λ⁵-phosphanes (tetraalkyldiphosphine disulphides) P₂R₄S₂ with zinc, cadmium, mercury and cobalt halides. The P—P stretching frequencies in the coordinated ligands occur near 500 cm^?1, substantially higher than in the corresponding P₂Me₄S₂ complexes, most probably because of interactions with P—C—C deformation modes. In the F—C stretching region the spectra of the P₂Et₄S₂ complexes are consistent with (but do not necessarily prove) cis-chelate ligand geometry with Zn, Cd and Co halides, and gauche-chelate geometry with Hg halides. No M—S stretching vibrations can be identified above 250cm^?1.